37 enter local election fray

An average of just under two candidates will be fighting for each of the seven seats in The Braid, six in Bannside and the seven seats in Ballymena. They are...

Braid: (seven wards) - Beth Adger (DUP), Robin Cherry (UUP), Beth Clyde (DUP), Brian Collins (TUV) Danny Donnelly (Alliance), Sam Hanna (DUP), Paul Maguire (SF), William McCaughey (DUP), Roy McPeake (TUV), Catherine O’Hara (SDLP), William Parkhill (PUP), Brian Thompson (UUP), and Chris Wales (DUP).

Bannside: (six wards) - Philip Burnside (Alliance), Timothy Gaston (TUV), Thomas Gordon (DUP), Patrice Hardy (SF), Billy Henry (DUP), Stewart McDonald (TUV), William McNeilly (UUP), Phil Moffat (DUP), Tommy Nicholl (DUP), Andrew Wright (UUP).

Ballymena: (seven wards) - Donna Anderson (TUV). Matthew Armstrong (TUV), John Carson (DUP), Jayne Dunlop (Alliance), Reuben Glover (DUP), James Henry (IND.), Marian Maguire (SF), Richard Marshall (NI21), David McCartney (DUP), Stephen Nicholl (UUP), Declan O’Loan (SDLP), Rodney Quigley (IND.), Eugene Reid (SDLP), Audrey Wales (DUP).

The remainder of the new council will be made up of 20 members from Carrickfergus and Larne with five coming from each of the four electoral areas of Larne Lough, Coast Road, Carrick Castle and Knockagh.

Elections to Mid & East Antrim Council will be held on Thursday, May 22, with Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24, set aside for the Count.

Those elected will sit on the shadow Mid and East Antrim Council until April, 2015.

Provision has been made by government where a transitional period will run from May 22 until April 1, 2015, when the new Councils will adopt their full role, responsibilies, powers and functions.

The newly elected councils, acting in shadow form, will have the statutory authority and democratic mandate to make policy decisions that will shape the direction of the new council before it becomes fully operational.