| Omagh District | |
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 Coat of Arms | |
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| Area | 1,130 km2 (440 sq mi) Ranked 2nd of 26 |
| District HQ | Omagh |
| Catholic | 70.3% |
| Protestant | 27.4% |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Councillors |
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| Website | www |
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Omagh District Council was a local council inNorthern Ireland. It merged withFermanagh District Council in April 2015 under local government reorganisation to becomeFermanagh and Omagh District Council.
Its headquarters was in the town ofOmagh, which is the traditional county town of Tyrone. The council area was about 440 square miles (1,100 km2), making it the second largest local council area in Northern Ireland (by area) with a population of just over 50,000 (25,000 of whom lived inOmagh town). Apart from Omagh the area of the former District Council contains smaller towns includingDrumquin,Dromore,Trillick,Fintona,Beragh,Carrickmore andSixmilecross.
The council was established in 1973 and originally had 20 councillors but following a review of local government boundaries in the early 1980s, the number of councillors was increased to 21. Omagh District Council consisted of three electoral areas: Omagh Town, Mid Tyrone and West Tyrone.[1] In the last elections in 2011 members were elected from the following political parties: 10Sinn Féin, 3Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), 3Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), 3Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and 2 Independents. The election of Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Council took place annually in June.
| Party | seats | change +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • | Sinn Féin | 10 | = |
| • | Democratic Unionist Party | 3 | = |
| • | Ulster Unionist Party | 3 | = |
| • | Social Democratic and Labour Party | 3 | = |
| • | Independent | 2 | = |
| Party | seats | change +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • | Sinn Féin | 10 | +2 |
| • | Democratic Unionist Party | 3 | +1 |
| • | Ulster Unionist Party | 3 | = |
| • | Social Democratic and Labour Party | 3 | -3 |
| • | Independent | 2 | = |
In both theWestminster Parliament and theNorthern Ireland Assembly, Omagh was completely contained within theWest Tyrone constituency.
Under the Review of Public Administration (RPA), the council was due to merge withFermanagh District Council in 2011 to form a single council for the enlarged area totalling 2829 km2 and a population of 105,479.[2] The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on 25 April 2008,Shaun Woodward,Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until the introduction of the eleven new councils in 2011.[3]
The former council area (especiallyOmagh town) has seen significant growth in the past few years, with the population rising by the most in years. Many housing estates and shopping areas have sprung up in recent times as well.
Population:
The area covered by Omagh District Council had a population of 51,536 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census.[4]
The council owned and ran theStrule Arts Centre in Omagh town centre.
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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