Strabane District Council (Irish: Comhairle Ceantair an tSratha Báin; Ulster-Scots: Stràbane Destrìck Cooncil)[1] was a local council in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland established by the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. It merged with Derry City Council on 1 April 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Derry and Strabane District Council.
| Strabane District | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Area | 862 km2 (333 sq mi) Ranked 4th of 26 |
| District HQ | Strabane |
| Catholic | 64.9% |
| Protestant | 33.7% |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Councillors |
|
| Website | www |
The headquarters of the council was in the town of Strabane. Apart from Strabane the other smaller towns in the area included Plumbridge, Newtownstewart, Donemana, Sion Mills and Castlederg. Also included in the Strabane District Council area were the following rural areas: Glenmornan, Evish, Glebe, Artigarvan, and Ballymagorry.
The Strabane District Council area consisted of three electoral areas, Derg, Glenelly and Mourne, from which 16 members were elected. At the final elections in 2011 members were elected from the following political parties: 8 Sinn Féin, 4 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 1 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), 1 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and 2 Independent Nationalist.
2011 election results
edit
| Party | seats | change +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • | Sinn Féin | 8 | +1 |
| • | Democratic Unionist Party | 4 | = |
| • | Ulster Unionist Party | 1 | = |
| • | Social Democratic and Labour Party | 1 | -1 |
| • | Independent | 1 | +1 |
Rates
editOn 12 February 2008, Strabane District Council stuck the district rate for 2008–09. The new domestic district rate became £3.1274 per thousand capital value, an increase of 6.47%. The new non-domestic district rate became 21.282p in the pound, an increase of 6.47%.[2]
Review of Public Administration
editUnder the Review of Public Administration (RPA) the council was due to merge with Derry City Council in 2011 to form a single council for the enlarged area totalling 1303 km2 and a population of 143,314.[3] The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on 25 April 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.[4] These were then further postponed. Strabane Council merged with Derry City Council to form the new Derry City and Strabane District Council on 1 April 2015. The first elections for the new council took place in May 2014.
Population
editThe area covered by Strabane District Council had a population of 39,843 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census.[5]
Twinning
editStrabane was twinned with Zeulenroda in Thuringia in Germany.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Snapshot: The magazine of Strabane District Council" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- ^ "Rates". Strabane District Council. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
- ^ "Minister Foster announces decisions on Local Government Reform". DoE. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
- ^ Northern Ireland elections are postponed, BBC News, 25 April 2008, accessed 27 April 2008
- ^ "NI Census 2011 – Key Statistics Summary Report, September 2014" (PDF). NI Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Town Twinning". Strabane District Council. Retrieved 31 May 2008.