Another name change row is brewing in Derry – and the unionists are not involved!
Unhappy… The SDLP’s (from left) Emmet Doyle, Sean Carr and Dermott Henderson.
The row is over proposed name changes to electoral areas ahead of next year’s local government elections.
The SDLP are unhappy with the changes put forward by the District Electoral Areas (DEA) Commissioner Richard MacKenzie.
Mr MacKenzie – who has been tasked with drawing up new boundaries to reduce the number of councils in Northern Ireland from 26 to 11 – has recommended a number of name changes to wards within the Derry City District Council.
Under the proposals that will see Derry amalgamate with Strabane, Mr MacKenzie has renamed four of the five wards in the City Council area.
At present, Derry’s five electorate areas are entitled Shantallow, Northland, Cityside, Waterside and Rural.
Under the new proposals they will become Ballyarnett, Rosemount, The Moor, Waterside and Faughan.
The SDLP in the city are not happy with the changes claiming they will confuse electorate.
Mr MacKenzie has defended the changes.
Sinn Fein would appear to be on the same side as Mr MacKenzie as they say voters have no issue with the changes and are more concerned with “bread and butter” issues.
In a joint statement, SDLP sitting Cllr Sean Carr and the party’s candidates in next May’s local government elections, Emmet Doyle and Dermott Henderson, claim the changes will confuse voters.
They are particularly concerned in the electoral area they are standing in – The Moor (Cityside).
They say: “We cannot understand how the Commissioner has looked the area we all know as Cityside which now stretches from the Foyle right up through Sheriff’s Mountain, and named it The Moor when anyone who lives in the area will know that is the name given to the Lone Moor area.
“Previously, the Commissioner settled on the name Rosemount which again is the name of a local area within the city, and caused a great deal of confusion.
“We want the name of our local District Electoral Area to reflect all of the communities held within it – the Bogside, Creggan, Rosemount, Glenowen, the Brandywell, Sheriff’s Mountain, the Fountain, Bishop Street, Cashelmore, Grangemore and Ardgrange.
“The name Cityside is well known throughout all of those communities and the wider city and the District Electoral Area Commissioner should consider keeping that name so as not to cause confusion that may lead some voters to feel that only those in the local area of The Moor are within our area.”
However, Sinn Fein Cllr Patricia Logue who seeking re-election in The Moor (Cityside) said voters had no concerns about the name change issue.
She said: “It hasn’t been raised once on the doorstep. Local residents are far more concerned about effective delivery on the ground and the issues of the day be they jobs, housing and having enough money each week to pay the grocery bill.”
Mr MacKenzie was appointed in January by Northern Ireland Secretary of State Theresa Villiers to make recommendations for the grouping together of wards in each of the 11 new local government districts into District Electoral Areas for the purpose of future elections.
The first will be the local government elections due to take place on 22 May next year. The following year will see the Westminster election with the Assembly elections taking place in 2016.
Mr MacKenzie has defended his proposals.
He said: “As regards the naming of DEAs, I have often used existing DEA names with which people are familiar. Where the difference between the old and new DEAs is significant, I have proposed a new name which has a resonance with the locality concerned, by reference to place names or geographical features.”
The new Derry/Strabane council will have seven District Electorate Areas with an electorate of 104,749 spread over 40 wards – representing a ward electoral average of 2,619.
The breakdown of the seven DEAs is as follows:
BALLYARNETT – six wards
Skeoge 2,597
Shantallow East 2,994
Culmore 2,893
Galliagh 2,857
Shantallow 2,764
Carnhill 2,430
Total 16,535 – councillor to electorate ratio: one to 2,756
Deviation from ward electoral average: +5.2%.
FOYLESIDE – five wards
Madam’s Bank 2,569
Northland 2,973
Springtown 2,608
Ballymagroary 2,682
Foyle Springs 2,644
Total 13,476 – councillor to electorate ratio: one to 2,695
Deviation from electoral average: +2.9%.
ROSEMOUNT – five wards
Sheriff’s Mountain 2,526
Creggan South 2,593
Brandywell 2,700
Creggan 2,835
City Walls 2,522
Total 13,176 – councillor to electorate ratio: one to 2,635
Deviation from ward electoral average: +0.6%.
WATERSIDE – seven wards
Victoria 2,579
Clondermott 2,780
Ebrington 2,608
Caw 2,679
Lisnagelvin 2,568
Kilfennan 2,722
Drumahoe 2,744
Total 18,680 – councillor to electorate ratio: one to 2,669
Deviation from ward electoral average: +1.9%.
FAUGHAN – five wards
Claudy 2,494
Enagh 2,610
Eglinton 2,761
Slievekirk 2,471
Newbuildings 2,762
Total 13,098 – councillor to electorate ratio: one to 2,620
Deviation from ward electoral average: 0%
SPERRIN – seven wards
Park 2,479
Dunnamanagh 2,461
Glenelly Valley 2,405
Artigarvan 2,438
Strabane North 2,430
Strabane West 2,426
Ballycolman 2,634
Total 17,273 – councillor to electorate ratio: 2,468
Deviation from ward electoral average: -5.8%.
DERG – five wards
Glenderg 2,445
Castlederg 2,436
Newtownstewart 2,357
Sion Mills 2,550
Finn 2,723
Total 12,511 – councillor to electorate radio: one to 2,502
Deviation from ward electoral average: -4.5%.
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