Ards and North Down Borough Council
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 were on 22 May 2014 and it acted as a shadow authority, prior to the creation of the Ards and North Down district on 1 April 2015.
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 | |
 Town 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
Mayor
| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | Alan Graham | DUP | |
| 2016 | 2017 | Deborah Girvan | Alliance | |
| 2017 | 2018 | Robert Adair | DUP | |
| 2018 | 2019 | Richard Smart | Ulster Unionist | |
| 2019 | 2020 | Bill Keery | DUP | |
| 2020 | 2021 | Trevor Cummings | DUP | |
| 2021 | 2022 | Mark Brooks | Ulster Unionist | |
| 2022 | 2023 | Karen Douglas | Alliance | |
| 2023 | Present | Jennifer Gilmour | DUP | |
Deputy Mayor
| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | Carl McClean | Ulster Unionist | |
| 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 | Ulster Unionist | |
| 2023 | Present | Hannah Irwin | Alliance | |
Councillors
For 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
| 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
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 | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Bangor Central | Karen Douglas | Alliance | |
| Wesley Irvine | Independent | ||
| Alistair Cathcart | DUP | ||
| Craig Blaney | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Chris McCraken | Alliance | ||
| Ray McKimm | Independent | ||
| Bangor East and Donaghadee | Mark Brooks | Ulster Unionist | |
| Hannah Irwin | Alliance | ||
| James Cochrane | DUP | ||
| David Chambers | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Gillian McCollum | Alliance | ||
| Janice MacArthur | DUP | ||
| Bangor West | Christine Creighton | Alliance | |
| Jennifer Gilmour | DUP | ||
| Stephen Hollywood | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Peter Martin | DUP | ||
| Barry McKee | Green (NI) | ||
| Comber | Libby Douglas [6] | DUP | |
| Philip Smith | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Trevor Cummings | DUP | ||
| Patricia Morgan | Alliance | ||
| Rachel Ashe | Alliance | ||
| Holywood and Clandeboye | Alan Graham | DUP | |
| Linzi McLaren | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Martin McRandal | Alliance | ||
| Rachel Woods | Green (NI) | ||
| David Rossiter | Alliance | ||
| Newtownards | Steven Irvine | Independent | |
| Naomi Armstrong | DUP | ||
| Richard Smart | Ulster Unionist | ||
| Alan McDowell | Alliance | ||
| Stephen McIllveen | DUP | ||
| Vicky Moore | Alliance | ||
| Colin Kennedy | DUP | ||
Population
The area covered by the new borough has 163,659 residents according to the 2021 Northern Ireland census.[7]
References
- "Ards and North Down Borough Council". The Belfast Gazette (7794): 33, notice ID 2462059. 15 January 2016.
- "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.
- "[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.