Northern Ireland local elections: smaller parties make gains

The DUP consolidated its support winning 24.1% of first preference votes. Photograph: Niall Carson/PACentrist parties have thrived and the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) has consolidated its support, the results of Northern Ireland’s local elections show.With all first preference votes now counted, the Alliance and Green parties, as well as other small parties and independents, made gains, revealing a slight loosening of the traditional unionist-nationalist stranglehold. The DUP won 24.1%