Three new councillors were elected on to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council in the Erne North DEA in 2019.

However, out of those three, only one is running again on May 18.

UUP Councillor John McClaughry is again on the ballot paper; however, the DUP’s Deborah Erskine has moved up the ladder to become an MLA, with Paul Stevenson replacing her.

Sinn Féin’s Siobhán Currie – who had the second-highest first preference votes in the DEA – stepped down as councillor, being replaced by Debbie Coyle, who lost her seat in Enniskillen in 2019.

Miss Currie was elected ahead of her running partner, John Feely, who was the outgoing councillor in 2019, and he is back on the ballot paper alongside Councillor Coyle.

It was the same for Mrs. Erskine who took the seat from her running partner, David Mahon Jnr, who is again back seeking election in Erne North.

READ MORE ON OTHER FERMANAGH DEAS: Erne East

Sinn Féin polled the most first preference votes between their two candidates, followed by the UUP, who had Diana Armstrong elected after the first count with 1,186 first preference votes.

The SDLP’s John Coyle polled strongly in 2019, and with transfers from Alliance got elected on the third count. He is expected to be re-elected once again.

Alex Elliott and the TUV may have a say in the make-up of Unionist councillors in Erne North through his transfers.

His party’s votes are growing, and he was the face of the party, which saw them increase their first preference vote in the 2022 Assembly elections in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

Transfers to Councillor McClaughry saw him take a seat ahead of the DUP’s Mr. Mahon and Mrs. Erskine, who was the last elected councillor in 2019.

With so little between them, the transfers of the TUV could swing the UUP’s second seat in favour of the DUP.

Eric Bullick is running for Alliance in Erne North, and while unlikely to get elected, his transfers could be vital for Councillor Coyle and the SDLP to get him over the line.