Misplaced Pages

1920 Londonderry Borough Council election

← 1914 Thursday 15 January 1920 1925 →
All 40 seats on Londonderry Borough Council 21 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Party UUP Sinn Féin Nationalist Seats won 19 10 10
Mayor before election Robert Newton Anderson Irish Unionist Mayor after election Hugh O'Doherty Ind. Nationalist

An election to Londonderry Borough Council took place on Thursday 15 January 1920 as part of that year's Irish local elections.

As a result, Unionists lost control over Londonderry borough council, which for the first time passed into the control of the city's Catholic majority. The various Nationalist parties in the city contested the election on a pan-nationalist front, emphasizing the national question of Irish self-government, as well as issues over housing.

The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 had seen the introduction of a PR electoral system for local government elections in Ireland. Turnout was high, at 93.5%. Despite the new electoral system only 2.8% of ballots were spoiled. Whilst Unionists won nearly 60% of the popular vote, this was connected to the Nationalist dominated West Ward going uncontested.

Nationalist control of the council would not last however, and following the partition of Ireland the Northern Irish Government restored the older, and less representative ward based system.

Results by party

North Ward

The Unionists put forward 7 candidates, and Nationalists 5. The Unionists gave instructions that their candidates should be voted for in alphabetical order. In the first round Unionist candidates 1,923 votes (59.72%), and Nationalists 1,297 (40.28%).

Waterside Ward

In Waterside ward 6 Unionists and 3 Nationalists were returned. Anderson and Bradley, topping the poll, were appointed as Aldermen. Unionists were advised to vote and allocate their preferences for Unionist candidates alphabetically.

South-East Ward

West Ward

The combined Sinn-Fein/Nationalist ticket put up 8 candidates for the 8 seats in the West Ward. The Unionist grouping in the city did not put up any candidates, resulting in there being no contest and the Sinn-Fein/Nationalist candidates being all successful.

References

1. McCabe, Conor (2010). "The Irish Labour Party and the 1920 local elections". Saothar. 35: 7–20. JSTOR 23200073 – via JSTOR.
2. ^ Laffan, Michael (1999). The Resurrection of Ireland: The Sinn Féin Party, 1916–1923. Cambridge University Press. p. 327. ISBN 9781139426299.
3. ^ "Keen party voting in Derry". The Irish Times. 20 January 1920. p. 6.
4. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001480/19200120/063/0003 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
5. ^ "Results | From 17th Jan 1920 | Londonderry Sentinel | Publication | Londonderry, Northern Ireland | Location | British Newspaper Archive" – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001480/19200122/068/0003 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
7. ^ https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001480/19200106/032/0003 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
8. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001123/19200121/011/0003 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

v t e Council elections in County Londonderry
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council	2014 2019 2023
Derry City and Strabane District Council	2014 2019 2023
Mid Ulster District Council	2014 2019 2023
Coleraine Borough Council	1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2011 Abolished
Derry City Council	1920 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2011 Abolished
Limavady Borough Council	1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2011 Abolished
Magherafelt District Council	1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2011 Abolished
Londonderry County Council	1899 1902 1905 1908 1911 1914 1920 1924 1927 1930 1933 1937 1964 1967 Abolished

v t e (1919 ←) 1920 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1921)
England	Liverpool Manchester
County councils (Ireland)	Antrim Armagh Carlow Cavan Clare Cork Donegal Down Dublin Fermanagh Fingal Galway Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Londonderry Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Tyrone Waterford Westmeath Wexford Wicklow
Borough councils (Ireland)	Belfast Cork Dublin Galway Limerick Londonderry Waterford
District councils (Ireland)	Armagh UD Armagh RD Blackrock Bray Dalkey Kilrush Killiney and Ballybrack Kingstown Londonderry RD Pembroke Rathmines and Rathgar
Counties of cities (Scotland)	Aberdeen Dundee Edinburgh Glasgow
Police burghs (Scotland)	Airdrie Annan Ayr Barrhead Bathgate Castle-Douglas Clydebank Crieff Cumnock Cupar Dalkeith Dumfries Dunbar Dunfermline Elgin Falkirk Forfar Fort William Gourock Govan Greenock Hamilton Inverness Irvine Kilcreggan and Cove Kilmarnock Kilsyth Kinning Park Kircaldy Kirriemuir Ladybank Leith Linlithgow Lochmaben Lockerbie Maybole Millport Milngavie Motherwell Newton-on-Ayr Newton-Stewart North Berwick Paisley Partick Perth Pollockshaws Port Glasgow Prestwick Renfrew Rothesay Rutherglen Sanquhar South Queensferry Stirling Stranraer St Andrews Whithorn Wishaw
County Councils (Wales)	Cardiff

• 1920 Irish local elections
• Derry City Council elections