Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
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 | Ballymena Borough Council Carrickfergus Borough Council Larne Borough Council |
| Leadership | |
Mayor | Peter Johnston, Democratic Unionist Party |
Deputy Mayor | Andrew Wilson, Ulster Unionist Party |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
 | |
Political groups | Executive (27) DUP (14) Alliance (7) UUP (6) Opposition (13) TUV (5) Independents (3) Sinn Féin (2) SDLP (1) Suspended (2) |
| Elections | |
Last election | 2 May 2019 |
| Meeting place | |
.jpg.webp) | |
| The Braid | |
| Website | |
| www | |
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
| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | Billy Ashe | DUP | |
| 2016 | 2017 | Audrey Wales | DUP | |
| 2017 | 2018 | Paul Reid | DUP | |
| 2018 | 2019 | Lindsay Millar | Ulster Unionist | |
| 2019 | 2020 | Maureen Morrow | Ulster Unionist | |
| 2020 | 2021 | Peter Johnston | DUP | |
| 2021 | 2022 | William McCaughey | DUP | |
| 2022 | Present | Noel Williams | Alliance |
Deputy Mayor
| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | Timothy Gaston | TUV | |
| 2016 | 2017 | William McNeilly | Ulster Unionist | |
| 2017 | 2018 | Cheryl Johnston | DUP | |
| 2018 | 2019 | Cheryl Johnston | DUP | |
| 2019 | 2020 | Beth Adger | DUP | |
| 2020 | 2021 | Andrew Wilson | Ulster Unionist | |
| 2021 | 2022 | Matthew Armstrong | TUV | |
| 2022 | Present | Beth Adger | DUP |
Councillors
For the purpose of elections the council is divided into seven district electoral areas (DEA):[5]
| Area | Seats |
|---|---|
| Ballymena | 7 |
| Bannside | 6 |
| Braid | 7 |
| Carrick Castle | 5 |
| Coast Road | 5 |
| Knockagh | 5 |
| Larne Lough | 5 |
Party strengths
| Party | Elected 2014 |
Elected 2019 |
Current | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUP | 16 | 15 | 14 | |
| Alliance | 3 | 7 | 7 | |
| UUP | 9 | 7 | 6 | |
| TUV | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| Sinn Féin | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| SDLP | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| UKIP | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| Suspended | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
Councillors by electoral area
| Current council members | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District electoral area | Name | Party | |
| Ballymena | James Henry | Independent | |
| Eugene Reid | SDLP | ||
| Matthew Armstrong | TUV | ||
| John Hyland † | Alliance | ||
| Audrey Wales | DUP | ||
| Rodney Quigley | Independent | ||
| John Carson – | DUP | ||
| Bannside | Stewart McDonald | TUV | |
| Timothy Gaston | TUV | ||
| William McNeilly | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Thomas Gordon | DUP | ||
| Tommy Nicholl | DUP | ||
| Ian Friary | Sinn Féin | ||
| Braid | Robin Cherry | Ulster Unionist | |
| Beth Adger | DUP | ||
| David Reid † | Alliance | ||
| Julie Frew | DUP | ||
| William McCaughey | DUP | ||
| Christopher Jamieson | TUV | ||
| Brian Collins | TUV | ||
| Carrick Castle | Lauren Gray | Alliance | |
| Billy Ashe | DUP | ||
| Cheryl Johnston | DUP | ||
| Robin Stewart | Ulster Unionist | ||
| John McDermott ‡ | DUP | ||
| Coast Road | Geraldine Mulvenna | Alliance | |
| Andrew Clarke | DUP | ||
| James McGeown | Sinn Féin | ||
| Maureen Morrow | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Angela Smyth | DUP | ||
| Knockagh | Noel Williams | Alliance | |
| Peter Johnston | DUP | ||
| Marc Collins – | DUP | ||
| Bobby Hadden | Independent | ||
| Andrew Wilson | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Larne Lough | Gregg McKeen | DUP | |
| Maeve Donnelly † | Alliance | ||
| Keith Turner † | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Paul Reid | DUP | ||
| Robert Logan | Alliance | ||
† Co-opted to fill a vacancy since the election.
♭ Elected in a by-election.
‡ New party affiliation since the election.
– Suspended from council.
Last updated 12 October 2022.
For further details see 2019 Mid and East Antrim District Council election.
Population
The area covered by the new Council has a population of 135,338 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census.[6]
References
- "Anne Donaghy: Suspended Mid and East Antrim chief takes legal action". BBC News. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- Hughes, Brendan (2 December 2021). "Council boss taking legal action over 'disability discrimination'". BelfastLive. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- Hughes, Brendan (20 January 2023). "Council boss 'retires on health grounds' after year on suspension". BelfastLive. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- 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.
- "Current review of district electoral areas" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015.
- "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.
