The Local Elections (Northern Ireland) Order 2013
As a result of legislation enacted by the Northern Ireland Assembly, Northern Ireland will be divided into 11 local government districts rather than the existing 26 local government districts. To ensure a smooth transition to the local government districts, Northern Ireland legislation provides for the creation of statutory transition committees and for the new councils to operate in parallel with the existing councils for a transitional period. To facilitate this, elections to the new councils need to be brought forward by one year.