Election 2023: Significant gains for Alliance and TUV in Causeway Coast and Glens Council as SDLP and UUP both lose three seats each

Jonathan McAuley was elected in the Ballymoney DEA, whilst Allister Kyle secured enough votes to get over the line in Causeway DEA.

The party had no elected councillors in 2019 after William Blair lost his seat in Ballymoney he won in 2014.

However, after speaking to the Ballymoney Chronicle at the count in Coleraine Leisure Centre, Allister believes the Causeway Coast and Glens Council has made 'the headlines for all the wrong reasons' and that his elected representatives will serve as a 'voice of challenge'.

"It was a good day as TUV is back in Causeway," he said.

"That will make a difference because Causeway is a council which I think has needed a voice of challenge on many issues.

"It has many times made the headlines for all the wrong reasons and TUV will be there as that voice of challenge and to serve the ratepayers to make sure they are getting value for money, to ensure there is good government and not mismanagement.

"It's a challenging opportunity but Jonathan is back and Allister will join him and that duo will be a voice of effective challenge in this council."

The results would prove to be a disappointing election for UUP and SDLP who both lost three seats from 2019.

However, those losses would be picked up by the TUV, Alliance and Sinn Fein who all made gains.

The DUP also lost one seat as Alan McLean surprisingly missed out in the Ballymoney DEA.

History was made by the Alliance as they have elected representatives in the Limavady and Ballymoney DEA's for the first time as Amy Mairs and Lee Kane reached the quota.

Russell Watton won the PUP’s only seat in the local election as he was elected in the Coleraine DEA, with party leader Billy Hutchinson missing out in the Court DEA of Belfast City Council.

A turnout of 44.38% was recorded in Coleraine which represented a slight decrease from 2019, however, there was an increase in turnout in the other six DEA's.

The parties in Causeway Coast & Glens who got the following share of first preference vote:

SF 30.8% (+8.6% on 2019)

DUP 27% (-3.4%)

UUP 12.7% (-2.6%)

Alliance 9.7% (+1.7%)

SDLP 5% (-4.3%)

TUV 4.8% (+0.5%)

Aontu 2.2% (+0.2%)

Green 0.6% (-0.1%)

People Before Profit 0.4% (+0.4%)

Others 6.7%

Those who were elected are as follows:

COLERAINE:

Philip Anderson (DUP)

Russell Watton (PUP)

Yvonne Boyle (Alliance)

Niamh Archibald (SF)

John Wisener (UUP)

Tanya Stirling (DUP)

BALLYMONEY:

Mervyn Storey (DUP)

Ciaran McQuillan (SF)

Darryl Wilson (UUP)

Leanne Peacock (SF)

Lee Kane (Alliance)

Ivor Wallace (DUP)

Jonathan McAuley (TUV)

CAUSEWAY:

Mark Fielding (DUP)

Peter McCully (Alliance)

Sandra Hunter (UUP)

John McAuley (DUP)

Richard Stewart (Alliance)

Allister Kyle (TUV)

Sharon McKillop (DUP)

BANN:

Sean Bateson (SF)

Michelle Knight-McQuillan (DUP)

Ciaran Archibald (SF)

Richard Holmes (UUP)

Dawn Huggins (DUP)

LIMAVADY:

Brenda Chivers (SF)

Steven Callaghan (DUP)

Ashleen Schenning (SDLP)

Aaron Callan (DUP)

Amy Mairs (Alliance)

BENBRADAGH:

Sean McGlinchey (SF)

Dermot Nicholl (SF)

Kathleen McGurk (SF)

Edgar Scott (DUP)

Michael Coyle (SDLP)

THE GLENS

Cara McShane (SF)

Oliver McMullan (SF)

Maighread Watson (SF)

Bill Kennedy (DUP)

Margaret Ann McKillop (SDLP)

OVERVIEW:

DUP: 13 (-1)

SF: 12 (+3)

Alliance: 5 (+3)

UUP: 4 (-3)

SDLP: 3 (-3)

TUV: 2 (+2)

Ind: 0 (-1)

Other: 1 (+/-0)