Antrim Borough Council is a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland, in County Antrim. It covers an area of some 220 square miles with a population of nearly 50,000. It is situated about 19 miles north-west of Belfast and bordering the north and east shores of Lough Neagh, the largest fresh water lake in Britain, and includes the towns of Antrim, Toomebridge , Crumlin, Randalstown , Parkgate and Templepatrick. Council headquarters is located in the town of Antrim.
The Antrim Borough Council area consists of three electoral areas: Antrim South-East, Antrim North-West and Antrim Town from which 19 members were elected made up of representatives from the following political parties: 7 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), 5 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 4 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and 2 Sinn Fein. These members were elected in 2001 and 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 Councillor Bobby Loughran (SDLP) and the Deputy Mayor is Councillor Drew Ritchie (UUP).
The next election is due to take place in May 2005.
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, as well as easy access to all parts of the Province. 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.
Together with part of the district of Newtownabbey, it forms the South Antrim constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly.
- See Also: Local Councils in Northern Ireland
- External Link: Belfast International Airport
