Carrickfergus Borough Council

NI_district
district_name = Carrickfergus Borough
alt_name = Comhairle Baile Charraig Fheargais
district_

area_rank = 25th
district_area = 82
district_HQ = Carrickfergus
district_iso = GB-CKF
district_ons = 95V
protestant_pc = 85.1%
catholic_pc = 8.7%
web_address = http://www.carrickfergus.org
district_MPs = Sammy Wilson

Carrickfergus Borough Council is a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. The Council headquarters are in Carrickfergus and the Council administers the town, on the north shore of Belfast Lough, and surrounding area, which extends from Greenisland in the south-west to Whitehead in the east. The Borough is 32 square miles, with a population of nearly 38,000.

The Carrickfergus Borough Council area consists of 3 electoral areas: Carrick Castle, Kilroot and Knockagh Monument. In the last elections in 2005 17 representatives for the area were elected from the following political parties: 8 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 4 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), 3 Alliance Party and 2 Independents. The Mayor of Carrickfergus is Alderman Patricia McKinney(DUP).

There is no other council in Ireland which is more Protestant in population. There are no nationalist parties, such as the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) or Sinn Féin on the council.

Carrickfergus Borough Council owes its origin to the 1973 local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland. At that time the original Carrickfergus Borough Council, Whitehead Urban District Council and part of the Larne Rural District Council area were amalgamated to create the present Carrickfergus Borough Council area.

Together with the neighbouring district of Larne and a small part of Newtownabbey, it forms the East 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 Larne Borough Council and Ballymena Borough Council in 2011 to form a single council for the enlarged area totalling 1047 km² and a population of 127,101. [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 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. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7367253.stm "Northern Ireland elections are postponed", BBC News, April 25, 2008, accessed April 27, 2008] ]

ee also

* Local Councils in Northern Ireland

References