is a local council in
County Down in
Northern Ireland . The Headquarters of the Council is in the town of
Banbridge . The Council area is to the north-west of County Down and covers an area of 175 square miles of countryside - from
Slieve Croob (1,775 feet) in the east to the
River Bann valley in the west. It is also the main gateway to the
Mourne Mountains , which lie to the south and is bisected by the A1 route between
Belfast and
Dublin . The other main small towns in the area include
Rathfriland ,
Gilford ,
Scarva ,
Loughbrickland and
Dromore . The population of the area is just over 41,000.
The district consists of three electoral areas: Banbridge, Knockiveagh and Dromore. In the last elections in (DUP), 5
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), 3
Social Democratic And Labour Party (SDLP), 1
Alliance Party and 1
Sinn Féin . In 2005-2006, the Council Chairman is Councillor Jim McElroy (DUP) and the Vice Chairman is Councillor Patrick McAleenan (SDLP). The next election is due to take place in May 2009.
In elections for the
Westminster Parliament it is split between the
Upper Bann , the
Lagan Valley and the
South Down constituencies.
