The Skerries (District Electoral Area)

The Skerries was one of the district electoral areas in Coleraine, Northern Ireland which existed from 1985 to 2014, one of three DEAs from 1985 to 1993 and one of four DEAs from 1993 to 2014. The district elected seven members to Coleraine Borough Council until 1993, and five until 2014, and formed part of the East Londonderry constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament.

The Skerries DEA (1993-2014) within Coleraine

It was created for the 1985 local elections, replacing Coleraine Area B which had existed since 1973, and contained the wards of Atlantic, Dunluce, Hopefield, Knockantern, Portstewart, Royal Portrush and Strand. For the 1993 local elections, it was reduced by two wards, losing the Dunluce area to the new Coleraine East DEA. It was abolished for the 2014 local elections and replaced with the new Causeway DEA.

Councillors

Election	Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)
2011		Maura Hickey (SDLP)		Christine Alexander (Independent)		Norman Hillis (UUP)		Barney Fitzpatrick (Alliance)		Mark Fielding (DUP)	5 seats 1993–2014		5 seats 1993–2014
2005								Sandy Gilkinson (DUP)		Robert Stewart (DUP)
2001		Billy Leonard (SDLP)						Pauline Armitage (UUP)
1997		Barbara Dempsey (Alliance)
1993		Patrick McGowan (Alliance)		Samuel Kane (UUP)
1989				Elizabeth Black (UUP)		William Glenn (UUP)						William Creelman (DUP)		Robert Mitchell (UUP)/ (Independent Unionist)
1985										Matthew Kane (DUP)

2011 Election

2005: 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Independent

2011: 1 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Independent

2005-2011 Change: Alliance gain from DUP

The Skerries - 5 seats^[1]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	Alliance	Barney Fitzpatrick	15.99%	635	636	649	676
	Independent	Christine Alexander*	14.85%	590	594	651	670
	DUP	Mark Fielding	14.15%	562	572	593	594	594.61	618.61	823.61
	UUP	Norman Hillis*	10.45%	415	424	447	448	448	624	688
	SDLP	Maura Hickey*	8.61%	342	342	348	534	544.98	552.98	560.98	571.98
	Independent	Noel Kennedy	8.41%	334	352	391	398	399.22	423.22	431.22	466.22
	DUP	Sandy Gilkinson*	6.65%	264	281	299	299	299	324
	UUP	Lesley MacAuley	6.62%	263	267	291	291	291
	Sinn Féin	Christopher O'Neill	6.92%	275	275	280
	Independent	James Davies	2.92%	116	117
	UKIP	Adrian Parke	2.29%	91	105
	TUV	Michael Wiggins	2.14%	85
Electorate: 8,167   Valid: 3,972 (48.63%)   Spoilt: 62   Quota: 663   Turnout: 4,034 (49.39%)

2005 Election

2001: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Independent

2005: 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Independent

2001-2005 Change: DUP gain from UUP

The Skerries - 5 seats^[2]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6
	Independent	Christine Alexander*	17.99%	846
	DUP	Robert Stewart*	16.44%	773	778	779	786.92
	UUP	Norman Hillis*	14.82%	697	733	737	749.72	1,065.72
	SDLP	Maura Hickey	8.89%	418	441	698	706.08	718.56	734.56
	DUP	Sandy Gilkinson	11.68%	549	557	557	561.72	634.2	733.2
	Alliance	Barney Fitzpatrick	9.68%	455	500	540	560.16	613.88	706.88
	UUP	Stephen Barr	9.57%	450	477	479	486.76
	Sinn Féin	Valerie Leonard	7.49%	352	356
	Independent	Barbara Dempsey	3.45%	162
Electorate: 8,162   Valid: 4,702 (57.61%)   Spoilt: 65   Quota: 784   Turnout: 4,767 (58.40%)

2001 Election

1997: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent

2001: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Independent

1997-2001 Change: SDLP gain from Alliance

The Skerries - 5 seats^[3]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5
	SDLP	Billy Leonard	18.41%	988
	DUP	Robert Stewart*	12.58%	675	943
	UUP	Norman Hillis*	11.65%	625	642	643.76	961.76
	UUP	Pauline Armitage*	13.59%	729	753	754.32	859.98	910.73
	Independent	Christine Alexander*	14.11%	757	763	782.69	842.13	851.13
	Alliance	Barbara Dempsey*	12.69%	681	686	751.89	776.66	782.66
	UUP	Samuel Kane	10.29%	552	565	567.53
	DUP	Sandy Gilkinson	6.69%	359
Electorate: 8,800   Valid: 5,366 (60.98%)   Spoilt: 85   Quota: 895   Turnout: 5,451 (61.94%)

1997 Election

1993: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance

1997: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent

1993-1997 Change: Independent gain from UUP

The Skerries - 5 seats^[4]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	UUP	Pauline Armitage*	19.04%	841
	Independent	Christine Alexander	17.75%	784
	UUP	Norman Hillis*	10.64%	470	477	534.6	543.12	570.26	586.4	876.4
	DUP	Robert Stewart*	10.12%	447	450	453.84	457.68	662.52	666.06	786.06
	Alliance	Barbara Dempsey	8.13%	359	362	368.84	379.04	383.34	603.66	625.92	672.92
	SDLP	Patricia Farren	11.00%	486	486	486.24	492.36	493.48	537.5	539.8	540.8
	UUP	Samuel Kane*	9.62%	425	444	462.6	468.36	489.08	501.44
	Alliance	Patrick McGowan*	6.79%	300	300	304.68	308.76	309.76
	DUP	James Milliken	5.86%	259	264	268.68	271.02
	Ind. Unionist	Thomas Mackay	1.04%	46
Electorate: 8,975   Valid: 4,417 (49.21%)   Spoilt: 92   Quota: 737   Turnout: 4,509 (50.24%)

1993 Election

1993: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance

The Skerries - 5 seats^[5]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4
	DUP	Robert Stewart*	20.89%	909
	Alliance	Patrick McGowan*	19.60%	853
	UUP	Pauline Armitage*	17.74%	772
	UUP	Samuel Kane	12.50%	544	582.22	585.58	732.71
	UUP	Norman Hillis	11.72%	510	544.23	550.79	727.56
	Alliance	Kate Condy	9.56%	416	419.57	525.65	553.36
	NI Conservatives	Robert Mitchell*	5.74%	250	268.27	275.47
	DUP	Siobhan Watterson	2.25%	98	185.15	185.95
Electorate: 8,857   Valid: 4,352 (49.14%)   Spoilt: 123   Quota: 726   Turnout: 4,475 (50.53%)

1989 Election

1985: 4 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance

1989: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Unionist

1985-1989 Change: Independent Unionist leaves UUP

The Skerries - 7 seats^[6]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	UUP	Pauline Armitage*	13.53%	840
	UUP	Elizabeth Black*	12.35%	767	795.42
	Alliance	Patrick McGowan*	7.95%	494	496.59	553.66	834.66
	DUP	William Creelman*	11.66%	724	727.22	734.22	735.22	736.12	845.12
	UUP	William Glenn*	11.66%	658	673.12	678.19	685.54	695.74	716.02	936.02
	DUP	Robert Stewart	6.49%	403	403.63	408.63	409.63	409.63	611.81	714.39	771.39
	Ind. Unionist	Robert Mitchell*	8.20%	509	511.1	520.1	533.1	547.8	574.94	666.77	741.77
	SDLP	Sean Farren	7.76%	482	482.21	537.21	559.21	584.71	584.71	588.01	589.01
	UUP	Thomas Peacock	6.96%	432	435.99	443.06	447.06	450.96	469.96
	DUP	Eric Stewart	6.10%	379	379.77	384.77	384.77	385.97
	Alliance	Kate Condy	5.10%	317	317.49	346.49
	Labour Party NI	Roberta Woods	2.16%	134	134.21
	Green (NI)	Malcolm Samuels	1.14%	71	71
Electorate: 11,940   Valid: 6,210 (52.01%)   Spoilt: 149   Quota: 777   Turnout: 6,359 (53.26%)

1985 Election

1985: 4 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance

The Skerries - 7 seats^[7]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	DUP	William Creelman*	16.76%	1,056
	UUP	William Glenn*	10.76%	678	693	693.25	714.5	719.5	733	806
	Alliance	Patrick McGowan*	8.63%	544	545.25	553.25	555.25	739.25	740.25	758.25	799.25
	UUP	Elizabeth Black	10.00%	630	636.5	638.5	648.5	655.75	659.5	725	795
	DUP	Matthew Kane*	4.68%	295	362	364	379	380	581	600	633	973
	UUP	Pauline Armitage	8.22%	518	522.5	523.5	532.5	535.5	538.5	570.75	737.25	790.25
	UUP	Robert Mitchell*	4.87%	307	311.5	312.5	381.75	385.75	396	500.75	563.75	635.25	772.25
	SDLP	Sean Farren	9.09%	573	573.5	587.5	587.5	591.5	591.5	591.5	593	593	594
	DUP	Robert Stewart	5.94%	374	397.5	397.5	415.25	418.25	477.75	496	523.75
	UUP	Hugh Stewart	6.00%	378	386	386	400.5	401.5	408.75	421.25
	UUP	Albert Clarke*	5.06%	319	322.25	322.25	348.25	352.25	355.25
	DUP	Roy Hilldrup	2.78%	175	301.5	301.5	306.5	307.5
	Alliance	Peter Scott	3.25%	205	205.25	215.25	227.25
	UUP	William Robinson	3.25%	205	206.75	207.75
	Green (NI)	Margaret O'Neill	0.70%	44	44.25
Electorate: 11,156   Valid: 6,301 (56.48%)   Spoilt: 113   Quota: 788   Turnout: 6,414 (57.49%)