Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 2015 |
| Preceded by | |
| Leadership | |
Mayor | Jackson Minford, Ulster Unionist Party |
Deputy Mayor | Tyler Hoey, Democratic Unionist Party |
| 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 | |
.jpg) | |
| The Braid, 1–29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, BT43 5EJ | |
| Website | |
| www | |
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[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 | 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 | Present | Jackson Minford[5] | UUP | |
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[6] | Sinn Féin | |
| 2025 | Present | Tyler Hoey | DUP | |
Councillors
For the purpose of elections the council is divided into seven district electoral areas (DEA):[7]
| 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
| 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 | |
| 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 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
- ^ "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.
- ^ https://nielects.com/news/2025/06/03/councils-across-northern-ireland-appoint-new-mayors-for-2025-26/
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Contact us". Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ "Braid: Ballymena Town Hall, Museum and Arts Centre". Ralph Appelbaum Associates. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ "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.
