1967 Londonderry Borough Council election

Elections to Londonderry Borough Council were held on 17 May 1967, amidst the Northern Ireland civil rights movement.

The election would be the last for the unreformed Londonderry Borough Council, with local government in Northern Ireland being reformed from 1969 onwards. The council elected was the last with a Unionist majority. Albert Anderson continued as Mayor.

The Northern Ireland Labour Party stood for the first time in local elections in the city.^[1] It made a particularly strong showing under its local party chairman, Willie Breslin, with the party taking 30% of the vote. Due to the electoral system however the party failed to win any seats.^[2] The Ulster Unionist Party stood in both wards with a unionist majority, and the Nationalist Party only in the one ward with a nationalist majority. Two independent candidates also stood.^[1]

Results

The final result saw no change from the previous election, which had been held in 1964 and in which no seats had been contested. Two of the Nationalist Party councillors were new, with Mary Harrigan being the first woman to serve on the council since 1926.^[3]

Londonderry Borough Council election, 1967^[4]
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes
	UUP	12	0	0	0	66.7	32.2	25,535^[1]
	Nationalist	8	0	0	0	33.3	33.9	26,880
	NI Labour	0	0	0	0	0.0	31.9	25,296
Registered electors			23,312^[2]
Turnout			16,263^[3]	69.76%

The 1969 report by Lord Cameron into "Disturbances in Northern Ireland" (paragraph 134) gives the total electorate as 23,210 rather than 23,312, and divides the 23,210 into 14,429 Catholic voters and 8,781 Other voters.

Ward results

North Ward

North Ward - results by party
8 Councillors^[4]
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes
	Ulster Unionist Party	8	0	0	0	100.0	17,198
	Northern Ireland Labour Party	0	0	0	0	0.0	7,861
	Independent	0	0	0	0	0.0	1,227
Registered electors			6,476^[5]
Turnout			4,648^[6]	71.77%
Total valid votes			4,582^[7]	70.75%

The 1969 report by Lord Cameron into "Disturbances in Northern Ireland" (paragraph 134) divides the total ward electorate of 6,476 into 2,530 Catholic voters and 3,946 Other voters.

North Ward
6 elected Councillors
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	UUP	John A. Allen	2,768	60.41
	UUP	William Beatty	2,908	63.47
	UUP	John A. Canning	2,907	63.44
	UUP	Robert Stewart	2,832^[5]	61.81
	UUP	Alfred Wallace	2,877	62.79
	UUP	James J. Whyte	2,906	63.42
	NI Labour	Ivan Cooper	1,328	28.98
	NI Labour	Ernest G. Cowan	1,228	26.80
	NI Labour	Henry L. Doherty	1,434	31.30
	NI Labour	Richard J. Foster	1,258	27.46
	NI Labour	George S. Stewart	1,289	28.13
	NI Labour	Janet Wilcock	1,324	28.90
	Independent	George C. Austin	1,227	26.78
Total votes			26,286
Total valid votes			4,582^[8]

South Ward

South Ward - results by party
8 Councillors^[9]
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes
	Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)	8	0	0	0	100.0	26,880
	Northern Ireland Labour Party	0	0	0	0	0.0	14,174
Registered electors			11,287^[10]
Turnout			7,487^[11]	66.33%
Total valid votes			7,160^[12]	63.44

The 1969 report by Lord Cameron into "Disturbances in Northern Ireland" (paragraph 134) gives the total ward electorate as 11,185 rather than 11,287, and divides the 11,185 into 10,047 Catholic voters and 1,138 Other voters.

South Ward
6 Councillors
Electorate: 6,476
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nationalist	James Doherty	4,692	65.53
	Nationalist	James R. Doherty	4,552	63.58
	Nationalist	Patrick Friel	4,624	64.58
	Nationalist	Mary Harrigan	4,293	59.96
	Nationalist	Thomas McDonnell	4,282	59.80
	Nationalist	Michael Eugene O'Hare	4,437	59.80
	NI Labour	Edward J. Campbell	2,145	29.96
	NI Labour	Joseph Doherty	2,701	29.96
	NI Labour	Paul Grace	2,402	33.55
	NI Labour	Charles V. Grant	2,286	31.93
	NI Labour	Jeremiah Mallett	2,244	31.34
	NI Labour	Barry McLaughlin	2,396	33.46
Total votes			41,054

Waterside Ward

Waterside Ward
4 Councillors^[13]
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes
	Ulster Unionist Party	4	0	0	0	100.0	8,337
	Northern Ireland Labour Party	0	0	0	0	0.0	3,261
	Independent	0	0	0	0	0.0	234
Registered electors			5,549^[14]
Turnout			4,128^[15]	74.39%
Total valid votes			4,101^[16]	73.91%

The 1969 report by Lord Cameron into "Disturbances in Northern Ireland" (paragraph 134) divides the total ward electorate of 5,549 into 1,852 Catholic voters and 3,697 Other voters.

Waterside Ward
3 elected Councillors
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	UUP	Albert Wesley Anderson	2,740	66.81
	UUP	Leonard Hutchinson	2,834	69.11
	UUP	John T. McParland	2,763	67.37
	NI Labour	James B. Hinds	1,116	27.21
	NI Labour	John I. Hutchinson	1,057	25.77
	NI Labour	Michael T. Roddy^[6]	1,088	26.53
	Independent	Denis Colclough	234	5.71
Total votes			11,832

Notes

1.^ Voters in North and South wards could each vote for up to 6 candidates and voters in Waterside ward could vote for up to 3 candidates. As a result totals for registered electors and turnout do not bear a direct relation to votes.

2.^ Two aldermen were elected unopposed in each of the North ward and the South ward and one alderman was elected unopposed in the Waterside ward.

3.^ The Derry Journal gives 25,550 as the total of 17,198 (North ward) and 8,337 (Waterside ward).

References

^ ^a ^b "Local election bid by Paisleyites". Irish Times. 16 May 1967.
^ "Labour and civil rights activist". irishtimes.com.
^ "Unionists increase Belfast strength". Irish Times. 19 May 1967.
^ "Labour Challenge Defeated - No Change in Derry Corporation". Derry Journal. 19 May 1967. p. 1.
^ The Derry Journal gives a figure of 2,877, which is identical to the number of votes for the next candidate Alfred Wallace. That figure, when added to the totals for the other Ulster Unionist candidates, does not equal the total Ulster Unionist poll of 17,198 given by the Derry Journal. The figure of 2,832 given by the Londonderry Sentinel, when added to the totals for the other Ulster Unionist candidates, does equal the total Ulster Unionist poll of 17,198 given by the Derry Journal.
^ The Derry Journal gives a figure of 1,083. That figure, when added to the totals for the other candidates, does not equal the total Labour poll of 3,261 given by the Derry Journal. The figure of 1,088 given by the Londonderry Sentinel, when added to the totals for the other candidates, does equal the total Labour poll of 3,261 given by the Derry Journal.