Armagh City and District Council

Coordinates: 54°20′53″N 6°39′22″W / 54.348°N 6.656°W

Armagh City and District
Geography
Area
- Total
Ranked 6th of 26
671 km²
Admin HQ Armagh
ISO 3166-2 GB-ARM
ONS code 95O
Demographics
Population
- Total (2010)
- Density
Ranked

/ km²
Community Catholic: 48.4%
Protestant: 48%
Politics
Control No overall control
Sinn Féin: 6
UUP: 6
SDLP: 5
DUP: 4
Independent: 1
MLAs Newry & Armagh
Sinn Féin: 3
DUP: 1
SDLP: 1
UUP: 1
MPs Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin)
Meeting place
Website
http://www.armagh.gov.uk/

Armagh City and District Council is a district council in County Armagh in Northern Ireland. It is set to merge with Banbridge District Council and Craigavon Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council.

The current Council area includes the city of Armagh, as well as the surrounding area. City status was officially conferred in 1995. Armagh has a long reputation as an administrative centre and the headquarters of the Southern Education and Library Board and the Southern Health and Social Services Board are currently located in the city. The Armagh Outreach Centre was established in 1995 and is linked to the Queen's University of Belfast. The heads of both the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland and the Church of Ireland reside in the city which was established by St Patrick as the Christian capital of Ireland. It also has some important Georgian architecture.

The district consists of four electoral areas: Armagh City, Cusher, Crossmore and The Orchard, from which 22 councillors are elected for a period of four years by proportional representation. At the last election in 2011 members were elected from the following political parties: 6 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), 6 Sinn Féin, 5 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), 4 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and independent Councillor Paul Berry, a former DUP councillor. The current mayor of Armagh is Councillor Freda Donnelly (DUP). The last election was due to take place in May 2009, but on April 25, 2008, Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until the introduction of the eleven new councils in 2011.[1] The proposed reforms were abandoned in 2010, and the most recent district council elections took place in 2011[2]

Together with part of the district of Newry and Mourne, it forms the Newry & Armagh constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly.

Lord Mayor

A Lord Mayoralty was granted by Letters Patent to Armagh City and District on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. Since then the position has been that of Lord Mayor of Armagh City and District Council. Between 1995 and 2012 the position was Mayor of Armagh City and District Council.

Mayors of Armagh

1995 - 96: Jim Nicholson, Ulster Unionist Party
1996 - 97: Jim Speers, Ulster Unionist Party
1997 - 98: Pat Brannigan, Social Democratic and Labour Party
1998 - 99: Robert Turner, Ulster Unionist Party
1999 - 00: Tom Canavan, Social Democratic and Labour Party
2000 - 01: Jimmy Clayton, Ulster Unionist Party
2001 - 02: Sylvia McRoberts, Ulster Unionist Party
2002 - 03: Anna Brolly, Social Democratic and Labour Party
2003 - 04: Pat O'Rawe, Sinn Féin
2004 - 05: Eric Speers, Ulster Unionist Party
2005 - 06: John Campbell, Social Democratic and Labour Party
2006 - 07: William Irwin, Democratic Unionist Party
2007 - 08: Charles Rollston, Ulster Unionist Party
2008 - 09: Noel Sheridan, Sinn Féin
2009 - 10: Thomas O'Hanlon, Social Democratic and Labour Party
2010 - 11: Jim Speers, Ulster Unionist Party
2011 - 12: Freda Donnelly, Democratic Unionist Party

Lord Mayors of Armagh

2012 - 13: Sharon Haughey, Social Democratic and Labour Party
2013 - present: Robert Turner, Ulster Unionist Party

Population

The area covered by Armagh City and District Council has a population of 59,340 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census.[3]

See also

References

External links