Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
Local authority in Northern Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Ballymena Borough Council, Carrickfergus Borough Council and Larne Borough Council.
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 2015 |
| Preceded by | |
| Leadership | |
Mayor | |
Deputy Mayor | Bethany Carson-Ferris, Ulster Unionist Party |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
 | |
Political groups | |
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| STV | |
Last election | 18 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
.jpg) | |
| The Braid, 1–29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, BT43 5EJ | |
| Website | |
www | |
History
On 2 December 2021, the councils chief executive Anne Donaghy was suspended[2] and stated her intention to take legal action for discrimination.[3] In January 2023, she announced her retirement.[4]
In 2022, another DUP councillor, Marc Collins, was suspended for abusive tweets directed at Sinn Féin MP John Finucane and his family.[5]
Mayoralty
Mayor
| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | Billy Ashe | DUP | |
| 2016 | 2017 | Audrey Wales | DUP | |
| 2017 | 2018 | Paul Reid | DUP | |
| 2018 | 2019 | Lindsay Millar | UUP | |
| 2019 | 2020 | Maureen Morrow | UUP | |
| 2020 | 2021 | Peter Johnston | DUP | |
| 2021 | 2022 | William McCaughey | DUP | |
| 2022 | 2023 | Noel Williams | Alliance | |
| 2023 | 2024 | Gerardine Mulvenna | Alliance | |
| 2024 | 2025 | Beth Adger | DUP | |
| 2025 | 2025 | William McCaughey | DUP | |
| 2025 | 2026 | Jackson Minford[6] | UUP | |
| 2026 | Present | Thomas Gordon | DUP | |
Deputy Mayor
| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | Timothy Gaston | TUV | |
| 2016 | 2017 | William McNeilly | UUP | |
| 2017 | 2018 | Cheryl Johnston | DUP | |
| 2018 | 2019 | Cheryl Johnston | DUP | |
| 2019 | 2020 | Beth Adger | DUP | |
| 2020 | 2021 | Andrew Wilson | UUP | |
| 2021 | 2022 | Matthew Armstrong | TUV | |
| 2022 | 2023 | Beth Adger | DUP | |
| 2023 | 2024 | Stewart McDonald | TUV | |
| 2024 | 2025 | Bréanainn Lyness[7] | Sinn Féin | |
| 2025 | 2026 | Tyler Hoey | DUP | |
| 2026 | Present | Bethany Carson-Ferris | UUP | |
Councillors
For the purpose of elections the council is divided into seven district electoral areas (DEA):[8]
| Area | Seats |
|---|---|
| Ballymena | 7 |
| Bannside | 6 |
| Braid | 7 |
| Carrick Castle | 5 |
| Coast Road | 5 |
| Knockagh | 5 |
| Larne Lough | 5 |
Party strengths
Councillors by electoral area
| Current council members | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District electoral area | Name | Party | |
| Ballymena | Rodney Quigley | Independent | |
| Matthew Armstrong | TUV | ||
| Brian Thompson † | UUP | ||
| Bréanainn Lyness | Sinn Féin | ||
| Reuben Glover | DUP | ||
| Jack Gibson † | Alliance | ||
| Lawrie Philpott ‡ | Independent | ||
| Bannside | Anna Henry † | TUV | |
| Stewart McDonald | TUV | ||
| Ian Friary | Sinn Féin | ||
| Thomas Gordon | DUP | ||
| Tyler Hoey | DUP | ||
| Jackson Minford | UUP | ||
| Braid | Archie Rae | Sinn Féin | |
| Ruth Lawrence † | DUP | ||
| William McCaughey | DUP | ||
| Christopher Jamieson | TUV | ||
| Alan Barr | UUP | ||
| Chelsea Harwood | Alliance | ||
| Matthew Warwick | TUV | ||
| Carrick Castle | Lauren Gray | Alliance | |
| David Clarke †‡‡ | TUV | ||
| Billy Ashe | DUP | ||
| Robin Stewart | UUP | ||
| Bethany Ferris | UUP | ||
| Coast Road | James McKeown | Sinn Féin | |
| Andrew Clarke | DUP | ||
| Geraldine Mulvenna | Alliance | ||
| Angela Smyth | DUP | ||
| Maureen Morrow | UUP | ||
| Knockagh | Bobby Hadden | Independent | |
| Peter Johnston | DUP | ||
| Marc Collins | DUP | ||
| Andrew Wilson | UUP | ||
| Aaron Skinner | Alliance | ||
| Larne Lough | Maeve Donnelly | Alliance | |
| Gregg McKeen | DUP | ||
| Roy Beggs Jr | UUP | ||
| Robert Logan | Alliance | ||
| Paul Reid | DUP | ||
Premises
![](#/media/File:"The_Braid",_Ballymena_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3063648.jpg)
The council is based at The Braid at 1–29 Bridge Street in Ballymena.[9] The building comprises the old Ballymena Town Hall, completed in 1928, and a large modern extension along Bridge Street, completed in 2008. The building was formerly the headquarters of Ballymena Borough Council and also includes a museum and arts centre.[10]
Population
The area covered by the council has a population of 135,338 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census.[11]