| Mid and East Antrim Borough Council | |
|---|---|
| [REDACTED] | |
| Type | |
| Type | District council of Mid and East Antrim |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 2015 |
| Preceded by | |
| Leadership | |
| Mayor | Beth Adger, Democratic Unionist Party |
| Deputy Mayor | Stewart McDonald, TUV |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
 | |
| Political groups | DUP (13) UUP (8) Alliance (7) TUV (6) Sinn Féin (4) Independents (2) |
| Elections | |
| Last election | 18 May 2023 |
| Meeting place | |
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| The Braid | |
| Website | |
www | |
![[REDACTED]](https://abc.global.ssl.fastly.net/File:Mid_and_East_Antrim_Borough_Council_logo.svg){kind=link}
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.
History
On 2 December 2021, the councils chief executive Anne Donaghy was suspended and stated her intention to take legal action for discrimination. In January 2023, she announced her retirement.
In 2022, another DUP councillor, Marc Collins, was suspended for abusive tweets directed at Sinn Féin MP John Finucane and his family.
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 | Present | Beth Adger | 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 | Present | Bréanainn Lyness | Sinn Féin | |
Councillors
For the purpose of elections the council is divided into seven district electoral areas (DEA):
| 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 |
Elected 2023 |
Current | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUP | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | |
| UUP | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | |
| Alliance | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |
| TUV | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | |
| Sinn Féin | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| Independents | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| SDLP | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| UKIP | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Councillors by electoral area
Further information: 2023 Mid and East Antrim District Council election
| 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 | 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 | |
| Beth Adger | 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 | ||
Population
The area covered by the Council has a population of 135,338 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census.
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.
- 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.
- "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.
External links
| Local government in Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|
| Councils | |
| Districts | |