Ballymena Borough Council
Encyclopedia
Ballymena is a local government district
with borough status
in Northern Ireland
. It is one of twenty-six districts created on 1 October 1973 and covers the town of Ballymena
and the surrounding area which includes small towns including Broughshane
, Cullybackey
, Galgorm, Ahoghill
and Portglenone
. The borough has an area of 200 square miles (518 km²) and a population of nearly 78,000. The borough has a central location within Northern Ireland and is served by the M2 motorway
and with a station on the Belfast-Derry railway line. Belfast International Airport
itself is only 18 miles (29 km) away and the Belfast City Airport is 30 miles (48.3 km) from Ballymena. It is also accessible to the seaports of Larne
and Belfast, 20 and 27 miles (43.5 km) away respectively.
of Ballymena with most of the surrounding Ballymena Rural District. The new council inherited the 1937 charter of incorporation
of the municipal borough, continuing the borough status and mayoralty.
The borough is divided into four electoral areas: Ballymena North, Braid, Bannside and Ballymena South, from which 24 members are elected. The entire council is elected every four years by proportional representation
. The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on April 25, 2008, Shaun Woodward
, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until the introduction of the eleven new councils in 2011. The proposed reforms were abandoned in 2010, and the next district council elections will take place in 2011
As of February 2011, the political composition of the council was:
, it forms the North Antrim constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly
.
Local government in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes. In Northern Ireland local councils do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom, for example they have no responsibility for education, for road building or for housing...
with borough status
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is one of twenty-six districts created on 1 October 1973 and covers the town of Ballymena
Ballymena
Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....
and the surrounding area which includes small towns including Broughshane
Broughshane
Broughshane is a village within the Borough of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is northeast of Ballymena and north of Antrim, on the A42 road. It had a population of 2,364 at the 2001 Census....
, Cullybackey
Cullybackey
Cullybackey or Cullybacky is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 4 miles north of Ballymena, on the banks of the River Maine, and is within the Borough of Ballymena. It had a population of 2,405 people in the 2001 Census....
, Galgorm, Ahoghill
Ahoghill
Ahoghill or Ahohill is a large village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, four miles from Ballymena. It has a population of 3,055 people . It is within the Borough of Ballymena....
and Portglenone
Portglenone
Portglenone is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 8.5 miles west of Ballymena. It had a population of 2,900 in the 2001 Census...
. The borough has an area of 200 square miles (518 km²) and a population of nearly 78,000. The borough has a central location within Northern Ireland and is served by the M2 motorway
M2 motorway (Northern Ireland)
The M2 is a motorway in Belfast and County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It is in two sections, the southern section running from north Belfast to Antrim and the northern section acts as a bypass of Ballymena, with the A26 road linking the two sections. In total it is 22 miles...
and with a station on the Belfast-Derry railway line. Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with...
itself is only 18 miles (29 km) away and the Belfast City Airport is 30 miles (48.3 km) from Ballymena. It is also accessible to the seaports of Larne
Larne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
and Belfast, 20 and 27 miles (43.5 km) away respectively.
Borough council
The present borough of Ballymena was created in 1973 from the merging of the former municipal boroughMunicipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Ballymena with most of the surrounding Ballymena Rural District. The new council inherited the 1937 charter of incorporation
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
of the municipal borough, continuing the borough status and mayoralty.
The borough is divided into four electoral areas: Ballymena North, Braid, Bannside and Ballymena South, from which 24 members are elected. The entire council is elected every four years by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on April 25, 2008, Shaun Woodward
Shaun Woodward
Shaun Anthony Woodward is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for St Helens South since 2001. He served in the Cabinet from 28 June 2007 to 11 May 2010 as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland...
, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally the Northern Ireland Secretary, is the principal secretary of state in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of...
announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until the introduction of the eleven new councils in 2011. The proposed reforms were abandoned in 2010, and the next district council elections will take place in 2011
Northern Ireland local elections, 2011
The most recent Northern Ireland local government elections took place on Thursday 5 May 2011.European Union and Commonwealth citizens who were aged 18 or over on election day were entitled to vote...
As of February 2011, the political composition of the council was:
- 12 Democratic Unionist PartyDemocratic Unionist PartyThe Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
(DUP) - 4 Ulster Unionist PartyUlster Unionist PartyThe Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
(UUP) - 2 Traditional Unionist VoiceTraditional Unionist VoiceTraditional Unionist Voice is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland founded on 7 December 2007, as an anti-St Andrews Agreement splinter group from the Democratic Unionist Party . Its first and current leader is Jim Allister who, until 2009, sat as an independent Member of the European...
(TUV) - 2 Social Democratic and Labour PartySocial Democratic and Labour PartyThe Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
(SDLP) - 2 Sinn FéinSinn FéinSinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
- 1 AllianceAlliance Party of Northern IrelandThe Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons....
- 1 Independent. The Mayor of Ballymena for 2010-11 is Councillor M.T. Mills (DUP) and the Deputy Mayor is Councillor W.R. McNeilly (UUP).
Parliamentary and assembly representation
Together with the neighbouring Borough of Ballymoney and part of the District of MoyleMoyle District Council
Moyle District Council is a Local Council in County Antrim in the north-east corner of Northern Ireland. It covers a largely rural area of approximately 190 square miles and has a population of 15,000...
, it forms the North Antrim constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
.