|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 32 seats to Wicklow County Council 17 seats needed for a majority |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Map showing the area of Wicklow County Council
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Fine Gael
Labour Party
Fianna Fáil
Fine Gael
Fianna Fáil
Independent
An election to Wicklow County Council took place on 23 May 2014 as part of that year's Irish local elections. 32 councillors were elected from five electoral divisions (Arklow, Baltinglass, Bray, Greystones and Wicklow) by PR-STV voting for a five-year term of office, an increase of 8 seats from the previous election in 2009. In addition Arklow Town Council, Bray Town Council, Greystones Town Council and Wicklow Town Council were all abolished, as per the Local Government Reform Act 2014.
Independents proved to be the biggest winners in the elections, gaining 7 seats to return to the Council with 10 members. In addition Sinn Féin gained 4 additional seats on the Council, leaving them with 6 councillors in total. The additional seats helped to insulate Fine Gael from significant seat losses and they remained the largest party despite losing a seat overall. Fianna Fáil gained 3 seats overall to return with 7 members and though they had more first preference votes than Fine Gael, they won 1 less seat overall. Several of the successful Independents such as Joe Behan, Christopher Fox and Jim Ruttle all had former Fianna Fáil connections. The Labour Party polled disastrously in the election and were wiped out in what had been one of their former strongholds, losing all 6 seats. Outgoing councillor and outgoing Chairman, Jimmy O'Shaughnessy also lost his seat in the election. O'Shaughnessy was a former Labour member. However, 2 former Labour councillors, Tom Fortune and Tommy Cullen, were returned as Independents.