Queries over retention of borough status

The three local authorities are due to amalgamate into the larger Mid and East Antrim Council in 2015 as part of the Review of Public Administration (RPA).

RPA, the first major examination of public services in Northern Ireland for over 30 years, will see the number of councils in Northern Ireland reduced from the current 26 to 11.

The matter was raised at Monday night’s meeting of the local authority with several members querying whether Carrickfergus would be able to retain its boroughship following the merger.

While Mayor of Carrickfergus Alderman Billy Ashe suggested that the borough status would automatically disappear following the RPA process, several other members questioned whether or not this was the case.

“I believe borough and city status are a gift from the sovereign, so we need to research this matter and see what the options are,” said Alderman Jim Brown.

“I would assume that anything that the Queen has invested this town with, no Government in Northern Ireland can take away,” added Councillor Billy Hamilton.

Responding, Ald Ashe said: “It is a gift from Her Majesty, but it also has to be applied for, so we should let it be known that this is something we are interested in.”

Meanwhile, Cllr David Hilditch referred to a number of examples in England whereby newly amalgamated local authorities had retained the borough status of an individual council.

He added: “If it did not work out for us regards the name of the new council, would it be possible to retain the historic borough of Carrickfergus?”

The potential for a ‘civic mayor’ was also discussed at Monday night’s meeting, with Ald Brown querying whether all civic functions in the new Mid and East Antrim council could be carried out by one individual.

However, Cllr Eric Ferguson indicated that in certain cases a civic mayor could be elected to perform the functions for a specific area.

Members agreed to research the matter further to ascertain whether the town’s borough status could be preserved.