Ards and North Down Borough Council is a local authority in Northern Ireland that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Ards Borough Council and North Down Borough Council. The first elections to the authority took place on 22 May 2014 and, prior to the official creation of the Ards and North Down district on 1 April 2015, it acted as a shadow authority.
Ards and North Down Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 2015 |
| Preceded by | Ards Borough Council North Down Borough Council |
| Leadership | |
Mayor | Cllr Jennifer Gilmour, DUP |
Deputy Mayor | Cllr Hannah Irwin, Alliance |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
 | |
Political groups | Executive (34) DUP (14) Alliance (12) UUP (8) Opposition (6) Green (2) Independent (3) SDLP (1) |
| Elections | |
Last election | 18 May 2023 |
| Meeting place | |
 City Hall, Bangor Castle | |
| Website | |
| http://ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk | |
The district was originally called "North Down and Ards"[1] but the council was known as "Ards and North Down District Council".[2] Councillors on the transitional shadow authority (prior to the council's official creation) voted on 15 December 2014 to submit an application to the Department of the Environment to change the name to East Coast Borough Council with effect from 1 April 2015.[2] Negative public reaction to the proposed name prompted a rethink.[3] The district name "Ards and North Down" was not finalised until 2016.[4] The transfer of the borough charter from North Down Borough Council was delayed until after the district naming.[1]
Mayoralty
editMayor
edit| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | Alan Graham | DUP | |
| 2016 | 2017 | Deborah Girvan | Alliance | |
| 2017 | 2018 | Robert Adair | DUP | |
| 2018 | 2019 | Richard Smart | UUP | |
| 2019 | 2020 | Bill Keery | DUP | |
| 2020 | 2021 | Trevor Cummings | DUP | |
| 2021 | 2022 | Mark Brooks | UUP | |
| 2022 | 2023 | Karen Douglas | Alliance | |
| 2023 | 2024 | Jennifer Gilmour | DUP | |
| 2024 | Present | Alistair Cathcart | DUP |
Deputy Mayor
edit| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | Carl McClean | UUP | |
| 2016 | 2017 | William Keery | DUP | |
| 2017 | 2018 | Gavin Walker | Alliance | |
| 2018 | 2019 | Eddie Thompson | DUP | |
| 2019 | 2020 | Karen Douglas | Alliance | |
| 2020 | 2021 | Nigel Edmund | DUP | |
| 2021 | 2022 | Robert Adair | DUP | |
| 2022 | 2023 | Craig Blaney | UUP | |
| 2023 | 2024 | Hannah Irwin | Alliance | |
| 2024 | Present | David Chambers | UUP |
Councillors
editFor the purpose of elections the council is divided into seven district electoral areas (DEA):[5]
| Area | Seats |
|---|---|
| Ards Peninsula | 6 |
| Bangor Central | 6 |
| Bangor East and Donaghadee | 6 |
| Bangor West | 5 |
| Comber | 5 |
| Holywood and Clandeboye | 5 |
| Newtownards | 7 |
Party strengths
edit| Party | Elected 2014 |
Elected 2019 |
Elected 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUP | 17 | 14 | 14 | |
| Alliance | 7 | 10 | 12 | |
| UUP | 9 | 8 | 8 | |
| Green (NI) | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| SDLP | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| TUV | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Independent | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
Councillors by electoral area
edit
For further details see 2023 Ards and North Down Borough Council election.
| Current council members | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District electoral area | Name | Party | |
| Ards Peninsula | Robert Adair | DUP | |
| Lorna McAlpine | Alliance | ||
| Joe Boyle | SDLP | ||
| Nigel Edmund | DUP | ||
| David Kerr | DUP | ||
| Pete Wray | UUP | ||
| Bangor Central | Alex Harbinson † | Alliance | |
| Wesley Irvine | Independent | ||
| Alistair Cathcart | DUP | ||
| Craig Blaney | UUP | ||
| Chris McCraken | Alliance | ||
| Ray McKimm | Independent | ||
| Bangor East and Donaghadee | Mark Brooks | UUP | |
| Hannah Irwin | Alliance | ||
| James Cochrane | DUP | ||
| David Chambers | UUP | ||
| John Hennessy † | Alliance | ||
| Eddie Thompson † | DUP | ||
| Bangor West | Naomi McBurney † | Alliance | |
| Jennifer Gilmour | DUP | ||
| Stephen Hollywood | UUP | ||
| Carl McClean † | DUP | ||
| Barry McKee | Green (NI) | ||
| Comber | Libby Douglas[6] | DUP | |
| Philip Smith | UUP | ||
| Trevor Cummings | DUP | ||
| Patricia Morgan | Alliance | ||
| Rachel Ashe | Alliance | ||
| Holywood and Clandeboye | Alan Graham | DUP | |
| Linzi McLaren | UUP | ||
| Martin McRandal | Alliance | ||
| Lauren Kendall † | Green (NI) | ||
| Gillian McCollum † | Alliance | ||
| Newtownards | Steven Irvine | Independent | |
| Naomi Armstrong | DUP | ||
| Richard Smart | UUP | ||
| Alan McDowell | Alliance | ||
| Stephen McIllveen | DUP | ||
| Vicky Moore | Alliance | ||
| Colin Kennedy | DUP | ||
Population
editThe area covered by the new borough has 163,659 residents according to the 2021 Northern Ireland census.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Ards and North Down Borough Council". The Belfast Gazette (7794): 33, notice ID 2462059. 15 January 2016.
- ^ a b "New name signifies a new beginning for local Council". Ards and North Down Borough Council. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
In the New Year the Council will formally apply for Borough status and will submit an application to the DoE to change the name to East Coast Borough Council with effect from 1 April 2015; until then the Council will be known as North Down and Ards District Council
- ^ Glynn, Niall (15 January 2015). "Northern Ireland super council names spark controversy". BBC News NI. BBC. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ "Change of District Name (North Down and Ards) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016". STATUTORY RULES OF NORTHERN IRELAND 2016 No.10. Legislation.gov.uk. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "[ARCHIVED CONTENT] Current review of district electoral areas" (PDF). webarchive.proni.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ "Councillor Libby Douglas". Ards and North Down Borough Council.
- ^ "Northern Ireland Census". nisra.gov.uk. 2021.