Antrim Borough Council

NI_district
district_name = Antrim Borough
alt_name = Comhairle Baile Aontroma
district_

area_rank = 11th
district_area = 577
district_HQ = Antrim
district_iso = GB-ANT
district_ons = 95T
protestant_pc = 56.7%
catholic_pc = 38.6%
web_address = http://www.antrim.gov.uk
district_MPs = William McCrea

Antrim Borough Council is a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It covers an area of some 220 square miles with a population of nearly 50,000 and is situated about 19 miles north-west of Belfast. Antrim borders the north and east shores of Lough Neagh, the largest fresh water lake in the United Kingdom, and includes the towns of Antrim, Toomebridge, Crumlin, Randalstown, Parkgate and Templepatrick. The Council headquarters is located on the outskirts of Antrim town. Although the borough is not within the Belfast Metropolitan Area, it houses the city's international airport and many commuter villages.

The borough is sub-divided into three electoral areas: Antrim South-East, Antrim North-West and Antrim Town, from which 19 members were elected. The following political parties are represented: 6 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 5 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), 2 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), 3 Sinn Féin and 2 Alliance Party. One councillor, Councillor Oran Keenan, was elected as SDLP and is now designated Independent. An election is held every four years using the Proportional Representation system. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected on an annual basis at an Annual General Meeting in June. The Mayor of Antrim is Oran Keenan (Independent) and the Deputy Mayor is Adrian Cochrane-Watson (UUP).

Mel Lucas has since resigned from the Democratic Unionist Party in opposition to them entering a mandatory coalition with Sinn Féin in the Northern Ireland Assembly [ [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-169945315.html Another resignation from DUP fuels speculation. - Ballymena Times (Ballymena, Northern Ireland) | Encyclopedia.com ] ] . Lucas now sits as a Traditional Unionist on Antrim Borough Council [ [http://www.antrim.gov.uk/index.cfm/website_Key/27/Category_key/123/Page_Key/159/show/more Antrim Borough Council] ] .

The economy of the area revolves around construction, distribution, transport and hospitality. It has a well developed transport infrastructure that provides easy access to all the main external gateways for Northern Ireland and all parts of the region. Antrim Town lies on two of the main transport corridors, the Belfast – Derry corridor and the Southern corridor. Belfast International Airport is located within the Borough, only 4 miles from Antrim town.

Together with part of the district of Newtownabbey, it forms the South Antrim constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly.

Review of Public Administration

Under the Review of Public Administration (RPA) the Council is due to merge with Newtownabbey Borough Council in 2011 to form a single council provisionally titled Antrim and Newtownabbey [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7620772.stm provisional council boundaries announced] ] for the enlarged area totalling 572 km² and a population of 128,361. [cite web | title=Minister Foster announces decisions on Local Government Reform | work=DoE | url=http://www.doeni.gov.uk/index/local_government/minister_foster_announces_decisions_on_local_government_reform.htm | accessdate=2008-05-31] The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on 25 April 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. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7367253.stm "Northern Ireland elections are postponed", BBC News, 25 April 2008, accessed April 27, 2008] ]

ee also

*Local Councils in Northern Ireland

References

External links

* [http://www.antrim.gov.uk/ Antrim Borough Council]
* [http://www.belfastairport.com/ Belfast International Airport]