Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaces Antrim Borough Council and Newtownabbey Borough Council. A statutory transition committee was established in 2013 to prepare for the merger. The first elections to the authority were on 22 May 2014 with 73 candidates standing for 40 seats. The authority acted in shadow form until the formal creation of the Antrim and Newtownabbey district on 1 April 2015.
Transition committee The statutory transition committee was established in 2013 with a membership of eight councillors each from Antrim Borough Council and Newtownabbey Borough Council. The purpose of the committee was to ensure that the new council would be ready to operate from 1 April 2015; to plan for the period up to and after the election of the shadow council; to arrange the first meeting of the shadow council; and to appoint a chief executive.
Borough status A new local government district was created on 1 April 2015 and is formally called the Antrim and Newtownabbey District, while the council is the Antrim and Newtownabbey District Council. Both of the previous authorities merged into it had borough status, which entitled them to be known as borough councils and the districts to be known as boroughs. The 2013 corporate plan of the statutory transition committee indicated that the new council was expected to retain this status.
Mayoralty
Mayor
FromTo Name Party20152016Thomas Hogg20162017John Scott 20172018Paul Hamill 20182019Paul Michael 20192020John Smyth 20202021Jim Montgomery 20212022Billy Webb 20222023Stephen Ross 20232024Mark Cooper20242025Neil Kelly20252026Leah Kirkpatrick2026PresentHenry Cushinan
Deputy Mayor
FromTo Name Party20152016John Blair20162017Noreen McClelland 20172018Vera McWilliam 20182019John Smyth 20192020Anne Marie Logue 20202021Noreen McClelland 20212022Stephen Ross 20222023Leah Smyth 20232024Rosie Kinnear20242025Paul Dunlop 20252026Julie Gilmour2026PresentAlison Bennington
Councillors For the purpose of elections the council is divided into seven district electoral areas (DEAs).
AreaSeatsAirport5Antrim6Ballyclare5Dunsilly5Glengormley Urban7Macedon6Threemilewater6
Seat summary PartyElected2014Elected2019Elected2023CurrentDUP1514 13 13 Sinn Féin3599Alliance4788UUP12976SDLP4411TUV2000Independent0123
Councillors by electoral area
This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected at the 2023 Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council election.
Population The area covered by the new Council had a population of 138,567 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census.
The population of Antrim and Newtownabbey was 145,661 at the time of the 2021 census. An increase of 5.1% since the 2011 Census.
Christmas in the Borough In September 2018 the council cancelled the Christmas tree and lights switch on for the town of Crumlin. The move, to reduce the budget allocation for Christmas across the borough, was the result of a £1million rate reduction for Belfast International Airport, Aldergrove. Crumlin was to be the only town in the borough without a Christmas tree or lights in 2018, and the only town in Northern Ireland without council funding for Christmas. The initial proposals on Christmas funding came before the council in November 2017, when an amendment to the motion was moved to include Crumlin, but the vote was tied at 18-18, and the Mayor used his casting vote against it.
However, a number of Christmas events took place across the Borough in 2018. Community groups received funding from the council to organise Christmas switch on events, and there were street markets at the switch on events at Antrim, Ballyclare, Glengormley, and Randalstown.
The Enchanted Winter Garden returned to Antrim Castle's Gardens from 7 to 17 December. An Evening of Inclusive Enchantment was planned for 18 December, with reduced numbers, lighting, and sound levels, a sensory and quiet room, ideal for children and adults with additional needs.
Arms
See also Local government in Northern Ireland 2014 Northern Ireland local elections Political make-up of local councils in the United Kingdom
References
External links