Mid and East Antrim Borough Council

Last updated

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council logo.svg
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 2015
Preceded by
Leadership
Mayor
Jackson Minford, Ulster Unionist Party
Deputy Mayor
Structure
Seats40
MidAndEastAntrim2023.svg
Political groups
  DUP (13)
  UUP (8)
  Alliance (7)
  TUV (6)
  Sinn Féin (4)
  Independents (2)
Elections
Last election
 18 May 2023
Meeting place
Ballymena Town Hall (geograph 6611054).jpg
The Braid, 1–29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, BT43 5EJ
Website
www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

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.

Contents

History

On 2 December 2021, the councils chief executive Anne Donaghy was suspended [1] and stated her intention to take legal action for discrimination. [2] In January 2023, she announced her retirement. [3]

In 2022, another DUP councillor, Marc Collins, was suspended for abusive tweets directed at Sinn Féin MP John Finucane and his family. [4]

Mayoralty

Mayor

FromToNameParty
20152016Billy Ashe DUP
20162017Audrey Wales DUP
20172018Paul Reid DUP
20182019Lindsay Millar UUP
20192020Maureen Morrow UUP
20202021Peter Johnston DUP
20212022William McCaughey DUP
20222023Noel Williams Alliance
20232024Gerardine Mulvenna Alliance
20242025Beth Adger DUP
20252025William McCaughey DUP
2025PresentJackson Minford [5] UUP

Deputy Mayor

FromToNameParty
20152016 Timothy Gaston TUV
20162017William McNeilly UUP
20172018 Cheryl Johnston DUP
20182019Cheryl Johnston DUP
20192020Beth Adger DUP
20202021Andrew Wilson UUP
20212022Matthew Armstrong TUV
20222023Beth Adger DUP
20232024Stewart McDonald TUV
20242025Bréanainn Lyness [6] Sinn Féin
2025PresentTyler Hoey DUP

Councillors

For the purpose of elections the council is divided into seven district electoral areas (DEA): [7]

AreaSeats
Ballymena7
Bannside6
Braid7
Carrick Castle5
Coast Road5
Knockagh5
Larne Lough5

Party strengths

PartyElected
2014		Elected
2019		Elected
2023
Current
DUP 16151413
UUP 9788
Alliance 3777
TUV 5556
Sinn Féin 3244
Independents 2322
SDLP 1100
UKIP 1000

Councillors by electoral area

Borders of the DEAs within Mid and East Antrim Mid and East Antrim blank.svg
Borders of the DEAs within Mid and East Antrim
Current council members
District electoral areaNameParty
Ballymena Rodney Quigley Independent
Matthew Armstrong TUV
Brian Thompson † UUP
Bréanainn Lyness Sinn Féin
Reuben Glover DUP
Jack Gibson † Alliance
Lawrie Philpott DUP
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

The Braid: 2008 extension behind the older Town Hall "The Braid", Ballymena - geograph.org.uk - 3063648.jpg
The Braid: 2008 extension behind the older Town Hall

The council is based at The Braid at 1–29 Bridge Street in Ballymena. [8] 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. [9]

Population

The area covered by the council has a population of 135,338 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census. [10]

References

  1. ↑ "Anne Donaghy: Suspended Mid and East Antrim chief takes legal action". BBC News. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  2. ↑ Hughes, Brendan (2 December 2021). "Council boss taking legal action over 'disability discrimination'". BelfastLive. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  3. ↑ Hughes, Brendan (20 January 2023). "Council boss 'retires on health grounds' after year on suspension". BelfastLive. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  4. ↑ Hargan, Garrett (29 June 2022). "DUP councillor Marc Collins suspended over tweets directed at Sinn Fein's John Finucane". belfasttelegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  5. ↑ https://nielects.com/news/2025/06/03/councils-across-northern-ireland-appoint-new-mayors-for-2025-26/
  6. ↑ Ballymena, Love (4 June 2024). "Sinn Féin's deputy mayor strikes conciliatory tone as party holds office for first time in MEA". LoveBallymena. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  7. ↑ "Current review of district electoral areas" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015.
  8. ↑ "Contact us". Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  9. ↑ "Braid: Ballymena Town Hall, Museum and Arts Centre". Ralph Appelbaum Associates. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "NI Census 2011 - Key Statistics Summary Report, September 2014" (PDF). NI Statistics and Research Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
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