Derry and Strabane


Derry City and Strabane is a local government district that was created on 1 April 2015 by merging the City of Derry District and Strabane District. It covers most of the northwest of Northern Ireland. The local authority is Derry City and Strabane District Council.

Geography

It is located in the northwest of Northern Ireland and includes parts of counties Londonderry and Tyrone, and borders County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. The district has a population of. The name of the new district was announced on 17 September 2008. Outside of Derry City the district is largely rural, containing a large swathe of the Sperrin Mountains which start at the market town of Strabane in County Tyrone.

Northern Ireland Railways station

Derry City and Strabane District Council replaced Derry City Council and Strabane District Council. The first election for the new district was originally due to take place in May 2009, but in April 2008, Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until 2011. The first elections took place on 22 May 2014 and the council acted as a shadow authority until 1 April 2015.