Derry & Strabane Council Election 2023: Success for SDLP and DUP in Waterside comes at expense of Alliance

There were cheers in the count centre as sitting SDLP Councillors Martin Reilly and Sean Mooney will be heading back to the Guildhall for the new term.

They will be joined by two new Aldermen elected for the DUP, Niree McMorris and Chlesea Cooke who were also deemed elected at the same time.

The declaration dashed Alliance hopes of its councillor Philip McKinney being re-elected to represent the Waterside in a close run race with less than 50 votes in it at the end between Philip McKinney and SDLP Colr. Martin Reilly.

The Alliance has now lost both its sitting councillors after Rachael Ferguson lost out in Faughan earlier today.

The other three seats were decided earlier in the day when Sinn Fein’s Caitlin Deeney and Christopher Jackson were returned along with the UUP’s Darren Guy.

Count 3

The People Before Profit candidate’s votes will now be allocated among the remaining runners.

The distribution after stage 3 was as follows: Niree McMorris DUP (+54.72) 1279.72 votes; Chelsea Cooke DUP (+54.24) 1316.54 votes; Sean Mooney (+4.56) 1109.76 votes; Martin Reilly SDLP (+6.48) 1020.28 votes; Philip McKinney Alliance (+15.12) 773.62 votes; Janice Montgomery (+289.2) 737.50 votes; and Davina Pulis PBPA (+2.64) 396.34 votes.

Stage 2

Christopher Jackson has been elected after the second round in the Waterside as Sinn Féin take two seats in the district in a historic breakthrough.

The Top of the Hill native exceeded the quota following the distribution of running mate Caitlin Deeney’s transfers.

The distribution was as follows: Christopher Jackson SF (521.1+) 1540.10 votes; Chelsea Cooke DUP (0.3+) 1262 votes; Niree McMorris DUP (0+) 1225 votes; Sean Mooney SDLP (34.20+) 1,105.20 votes; Martin Reilly (7.80+) 1,013.80 votes; Philip McKinney Alliance (10.5+) 758.5 votes; Janice Montgomery UUP (0.3+) 448.30 votes; and Davina Pulis (5.70+) 393.70 votes.

Stage 1

First-time candidate Caitlin Deeney has smashed the quota in the Waterside District Electoral Area (DEA) and it looks likely she will take her Sinn Féin running-mate Christopher Jackson with her following the distribution of transfers.

If Mr. Jackson, who also polled strongly, is elected as looks highly likely, it will be the first time Sinn Féin will have had two councillors returned in the Waterside.

The first preference tallies were as follows: Caitlin Deeney SF (1,949 votes); Darren Guy UUP (1797 votes); Chelsea Cooke (1,262 votes); Niree McMorris (1,225 votes); Sean Mooney SDLP (1,071 votes); Christopher Jackson SF (1,091 votes); Martin Reilly SDLP (1,006 votes); Philip McKinney Alliance (748 votes); Janice Montgomery UUP (448 votes); and Davina Pulis PBPA (388 votes).

Turnout was 21,241 with 11,115 votes cast (52.33%) – up by 0.51% from 7,246 (51.82%) in 2019.

There were 202 rejected votes leaving a valid vote tally of 10,914 votes. The quota has been set at 1365 votes.

Waterside DEA overview

The candidates in alphabetical order are: Chelsea Cooke (DUP), Caitlin Deeney (Sinn Féin), Darren Guy (UUP), Christopher Jackson (Sinn Féin), Philip McKinney (Alliance), Niree McMorris (DUP), Janice Montgomery (UUP), Sean Mooney (SDLP), Davina Pulis (People Before Profit) and Martin Reilly (SDLP).

In the last local government election in 2019 the DUP and SDLP returned two councillors each, and Sinn Féin, Alliance and the UUP, one each.

The first preference tallies were as follows: ELECTED - UUP Darren Guy 1,589 votes (15.96%); ELECTED – SDLP Sinéad McLaughlin 1,483 votes (14.90%); ELECTED - DUP Hilary McClintock 1,250 votes (12.56%); ELECTED - SDLP Martin Reilly 939 votes (9.43%); ELECTED – DUP David Ramsey 839 votes (8.43%); ELECTED – Sinn Féin Christopher Jackson 825 votes (8.29%); ELECTED – Alliance Philip McKinney 715 votes (7.18%); Sinn Féin Sharon McLaughlin 784 votes (7.87%); DUP Drew Thompson 780 votes (7.83%); and People Before Profit Maeve O’Neill 752 votes (7.55%).

Of a total Waterside electorate of 19,558 electors, 9,956 (50.91%) valid votes were cast in May 2019. The quota was set at 1,245 votes.

There were 178 spoilt votes. Turnout was 10,134 (51.82%).

Chelsea Cooke, DUP.

Chelsea Cooke is a first-time candidate for the DUP. She has been involved in community work in the Tullyally area and the wider Waterside.

In May 2019 the DUP's three candidates collectively won 2,869 first preference votes (28.82%) in the Waterside DEA, the equivalent of 2.3 quotas.

Caitlin Deeney, Sinn Féin.

Caitlin Deeney is a first-time candidate for Sinn Féin. Describing herself as a mother and teacher from Top of the Hill, she has been named on a two-candidate ticket for the party in the Waterside District Electoral Area.

In May 2019 Sinn Féin's two candidates received 1,609 first preference votes (16.16%). This equated to 1.29 quotas.

Darren Guy, UUP.

Darren Guy, a taxi-driver from Kilfennan and a son of the late former two-time Mayor of Derry Jim Guy, was one of the highest polling candidates anywhere in the North when he was elected to Derry City and Strabane District Council in his debut election in May 2019.

He received 1,589 first preference votes (15.96%), the equivalent of 1.27 quotas. He contested the 2019 Westminster election and won 1,088 votes (2.3%).

Christopher Jackson, Sinn Féin.

Top of the Hill-native Christopher Jackson has served as Deputy Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council. He was first elected to Derry City and Strabane District Council in the inaugural elections of 2014 when he received 1,063 first preference votes (12.01%).

He was re-elected in 2019 with a reduced tally of 825 votes (8.29%). In May 2019 Sinn Féin's two candidates received 1,609 first preference votes (16.16%). This equated to 1.29 quotas.

Philip McKinney, Alliance.

Philip McKinney's background is in logistics. He has worked as a HGV and bus driver and training manager and is acutely aware of road safety issues and infrastructure. He was a former shop steward in two different workplaces.

He was elected as a councillor for the Waterside District Electoral Area (DEA) in his first electoral outing in May 2019 in what was a breakthrough election for Alliance that also saw Rachael Ferguson returned in the Faughan DEA. He received 715 first preference votes (7.18%).

Niree McMorris, DUP.

Niree McMorris is a community worker and long-standing DUP activist from the Waterside. She has served as a councillor for the Waterside District Electoral Area (DEA) since being co-opted by the party as David Ramsey's replacement last year.

This will be her third electoral outing. She was one of four DUP candidates who ran in the Waterside in 2014. She received 528 votes (5.96%) and was not elected. She stood in the Moor DEA in 2019 and received 148 votes (1.91%).

In May 2019 the DUP's three candidates collectively won 2,869 first preference votes (28.82%) in the Waterside DEA, the equivalent of 2.3 quotas.

Janice Montgomery, UUP.

A mother-of-three from Drumahoe, Janice Montgomery is a first-time candidate in this election. The UUP are fielding two candidate in the Waterside District Electoral Area (DEA) for the first time since 2014.

In the last election in 2019 the UUP's sole candidate Darren Guy received 1,589 first preference votes (15.96%), the equivalent of 1.27 quotas. By comparison, in 2014, the party ran two candidates and won 1,511 votes (17.08%) - 1.36 quotas - in an election that featured 15 candidates and a fractured unionist field.

Sean Mooney, SDLP.

A former solicitor Sean Mooney was co-opted onto the council as Sinead McLaughlin's replacement in the Waterside District Electoral Area (DEA) in February 2020.

He is well-known in the community as an athletics coach and a member of the Board of Governors at Long Tower Primary School. This is his first election. In May 2019 the SDLP's two candidates won 2,422 first preference votes (24.33%) - the equivalent of 1.9 quotas.

Davina Pulis, People Before Profit.

A freelance designer and illustrator Davina 'Nina' Pulis is a first-time election candidate for People Before Profit who has been vocal on the cost-of-living crisis, cuts to public services and sectarianism since being nominated by the party.

In the May 2019 election Maeve O'Neill, who is standing in the Moor on May 18, contested the constituency for PBP and received 752 first preference votes (7.55%).

Martin Reilly, SDLP.

One of the longest standing councillors in Derry, Martin Reilly was first elected to the old Derry City Council in the Waterside District Electoral Area (DEA) in 2005 and was one of the last Mayors of Derry, serving during the 2013/14 City of Culture year.

He currently works for the Alzheimer’s Society as their NI Public Affairs and Campaigns Officer. He was returned as SDLP councillor for the Waterside in the 2005 (567 votes; 6%) and 2011 (478 votes; 5.89%) elections to the old Derry City Council.

In the inaugural elections to Derry City and Strabane District Council in 2014 he received 884 votes (10%) and in 2019 he was returned again with 914 votes (9.43%). In May 2019 the SDLP's two candidates won 2,422 first preference votes (24.33%) - the equivalent of 1.9 quotas.