Magherafelt District Council is a Local Council in County Derry in Northern Ireland. Council headquarters are in Magherafelt. The Council area stretches from Lough Neagh and the River Bann in the east and into the Sperrin Mountains in the west and is divided by the Moyola River . It covers an area of 214 square miles and has a current population of over 39,500. Local towns in the area include Bellaghy , birthplace of poet Seamus Heaney in 1939.

The Council is comprised of 16 elected representatives. Local elections are held every four years on a Proportional Representation system. At the last election in June 2001 those elected were from the following political parties: 7 Sinn Fein, 3 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 3 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and 3 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). The Chairman and Vice Chairman are elected on an annual basis at the Annual General Meeting in June. The current Chairman is Councillor Patsy Groogan (Sinn Fein) and the Vice Chairman is Councillor RA Montgomery (UUP).

The next election is due to take place in May 2005.

In elections for the Westminster Parliament it is part of the Mid Ulster constituency.

See Also: Local Councils in Northern Ireland