Race hots up for new super council

Not taking into account wards in the Coleraine and Limavady areas, there are a total of 42 contenders in the Glens, Causeway and Ballymoney electoral areas and with 19 seats, it will come as no surprise that campaigning will be robust before voting takes place on Thursday, May 22.

Running alongside the European elections, there appears to be keen interest in the new council set-up, which sees the existing 26 councils completely re-structured and reduced to 11 with enhanced powers.

Already, Ballymoney and Moyle is awash with election posters as well as countless brochures and general literature being distributed across homes in the various districts.

Many of the ‘old guard’ from Ballymoney and Moyle councils are not standing preferring to bow out gracefully and make way for new blood.

Just how the electorate will respond to some of the new faces isn’t clear but it’s fairly certain that being attached to a recognised political party, will greatly influence voting patterns.

Ballymoney ward which takes in the town, Cloughmills, Dunloy, Rasharkin and Route will see 15 candidates battling it out.

They include four DUP – John Finlay, Ian Stevenson, Johnny Wallace and Alan McLean and according to the party, they are confident of gaining four of the seven seats.

Running against them are the two Ulster Unionist candidates, Tom McKeown and Darryl Wilson while the TUV have also fielded two, William Blair, the sitting councillor and Jamise McIlhagga.

Sinn Fein will be confident of gaining seats with Philip McGuigan and Leanne Peacock their runners.

The SDLP are making a determined bid to convince the electorate they can make a contribution to the council by also nominating two – Harry Boyle and Angela Mulholland.

The Alliance representative is Stephen William McFarland while former council and Ballymoney businessman, James Simpson, will stand for the Conservatives.

Completing the 15 is Charley ‘Pappy’ O’Kane who is running as an Independent having fallen out with his former party, the SDLP.

The Causeway electoral area has also attracted 15 candidates. This ward takes in Causeway Atlantic, Dervock, Dundooan, Giant’s Causeway, Hopefield, Portrush, Dunluce, and Portstewart.

Runners here are Bill Kennedy, Mark Fielding, Frank Campbell and Angela Knott from the DUP, Norman Hillis, Sandra Hunter and Robert McPherson, Ulster Unionists, Sharon McKillop and Thomas Stirling TUV, Barney Fitzpatrick Alliance, Maura Hickey, SDLP, Adrian Park, UKIP, David Alexander, Aspire to Better, Alison Torrens, Independent and Leanne Abernethy.

In the Glens electoral area, there are 12 candidates including four from the SDLP, Donal Cunningham, Joanne McKeown, Margaret Anne McKillop and Kieran Mulholland. Sinn Fein has two runners – Colum Thompson and Cara McShane, while former SF member, Paudie McShane will continue as an Independent.

Evelyne Robinson will stand for the DUP and the numbers are made up from Cyril Quigg, TUV, Colin Mayrs, Alliance and Ambrose Laverty, Independent.

The area includes the Glens, Ballycastle, Kinbane, Loughguile and Stranocum, Lurigethan, Torr Head and Rathlin.

Polling day will be May 22. Coleraine Leisure Centre will be the count venue. The Chief Executive of Ballymoney Borough Council, John Dempsey, is leading the project on behalf of the four merging councils – Coleraine, Limavady, Ballymoney and Ballycastle.

The people of the Coleraine area will make up the largest portion of the new ‘super Council’. Coleraine Borough’s 58,993 residents will account for 42% of the council.

The smallest local authority – Moyle and its 17,129 residents – will make up 12% of the new council. Council.

David Jackson has been appointed as the Chief Executive. The new council will take effect in April 2015.