Ards (borough)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox UK place Ards (named after the Ards Peninsula) was a local government district in Northern Ireland with the status of borough. It was one of twenty-six districts formed on 1 October 1973, and had its headquarters in Newtownards. It was merged with neighbouring North Down on 1 May 2015 to form the new Borough of Ards and North Down. Other towns in the defunct Borough included Portaferry, Comber, and Donaghadee, and the population of the area was 78,078 according to the 2011 census.

Strangford Lough is at the heart of the area, and is the largest inlet in Ireland with internationally renowned wildlife. The Irish Sea coast stretches from Donaghadee to Portaferry. Mount Stewart, a National Trust property on the shore of Strangford Lough, is in the area, as well as Northern Ireland's only aquarium, Exploris, in Portaferry and Grace Neill's pub in Donaghadee.Template:Citation needed

Borough council

The borough was governed by Ards Borough Council (Ulster-Scots: Burgh Cooncil o' the Airds, Newton an' Blathewick). The borough was divided into four district electoral areas: Newtownards, Ards West, Ards East and Ards Peninsula, from which 23 members were elected. As of February 2011 the following parties were represented on the council: 11 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 6 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), 4 Alliance Party, and 1 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and there was 1 Independent councillor.<ref name=council>Template:Cite web</ref> The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on 25 April 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.<ref>Northern Ireland elections are postponed, BBC News, April 25, 2008, accessed April 27, 2008</ref> The proposed reforms were abandoned in 2010, and district council elections took place in 2011<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Mayor of Ards

On creation in 1973 Ards District Council adopted the charter of incorporation of the municipal borough of Newtownards, to become Ards Borough Council. The charter also granted the chairman of the council the title "Mayor of Ards".<ref>the Charter of the Corporation of the Borough of Newtownards shall have effect in relation to the District of Ards... the name in the Charter shall be changed to Ards Borough Council.Template:London Gazette</ref>

Year	Name	Political affiliation		Deputy	Deputy's affiliation
1973–75	John Algie	Template:Party name with colour	D. Hamilton	Template:Party name with colour
1975–77	Henry Cosbey	Template:Party name with colour	J. B. Caughey	Template:Party name with colour
1977–79	John Scott	Template:Party name with colour	Hamilton McKeag	Template:Party name with colour
1979–81	Hamilton McKeag	Template:Party name with colour	Robert Gaw	Template:Party name with colour
1981–83	Robert Gaw	Template:Party name with colour	Jim McBriar	Template:Party name with colour
1983–84	Jim McBriar	Template:Party name with colour	Oliver Johnston	Template:Party name with colour
1984–85	Oliver Johnston	Template:Party name with colour	Gladys McIntyre	Template:Party name with colour
1985–86	Gladys McIntyre	Template:Party name with colour	Robert Ambrose	Template:Party name with colour
1986–87	Robert Ambrose	Template:Party name with colour	Simpson Gibson	Template:Party name with colour
1987–88	Simpson Gibson	Template:Party name with colour	Tom Benson	Template:Party name with colour
1988–89	Tom Benson	Template:Party name with colour	John Hamilton	Template:Party name with colour
1989–1990	John Hamilton	Template:Party name with colour	Robert Gibson	Template:Party name with colour
1990–91	Robert Gibson	Template:Party name with colour	Jim Shannon	Template:Party name with colour
1991–92	Jim Shannon	Template:Party name with colour	David Smyth	Template:Party name with colour
1992–93	David Smyth	Template:Party name with colour	Wilbert Magill	Template:Party name with colour
1993–94	Wilbert Magill	Template:Party name with colour	John Shields	Template:Party name with colour
1994–95	John Shields	Template:Party name with colour	St Clair McAlister	Template:Party name with colour
1995–96	St Clair McAlister	Template:Party name with colour	Robert Gibson	Template:Party name with colour
June – December 1996	Robert Gibson	Template:Party name with colour	Ronnie Ferguson	Template:Party name with colour
January – June 1998	Ronnie Ferguson	Template:Party name with colour	George Ennis	Template:Party name with colour
June 1998 – June 1999	George Ennis	Template:Party name with colour	Alan McDowell	Template:Party name with colour
1999–2000	Alan McDowell	Template:Party name with colour	Tom Hamilton	Template:Party name with colour
2000–01	Tom Hamilton	Template:Party name with colour	Margaret Craig	Template:Party name with colour
2001–02	Margaret Craig	Template:Party name with colour	Jeff Magill	Template:Party name with colour
2002–03	Jeff Magill	Template:Party name with colour	Jim McBriar	Template:Party name with colour
2003–04	Jim McBriar	Template:Party name with colour	Hamilton Gregory	Template:Party name with colour
2004–05	Hamilton Gregory	Template:Party name with colour	Angus Carson	Template:Party name with colour
2005–06	Terry Williams	Template:Party name with colour	Angus Carson	Template:Party name with colour
2006–07	Angus Carson	Template:Party name with colour	Robin Drysdale	Template:Party name with colour
2007–08	Robin Drysdale	Template:Party name with colour	Jim Fletcher	Template:Party name with colour
2008–09	Jim Fletcher	Template:Party name with colour	William Montgomery	Template:Party name with colour
2009–10	William Montgomery	Template:Party name with colour	David Smyth	Template:Party name with colour
2010–11<ref name=council/>	David Smyth	Template:Party name with colour	Mervyn Oswald	Template:Party name with colour
2011–12	Mervyn Oswald	Template:Party name with colour	Hamilton Gregory	Template:Party name with colour
2012–2013	Hamilton Gregory	Template:Party name with colour	Stephen McIlveen	Template:Party name with colour

2013 Stephen McIlveen Democratic Unionist Party

Source: Freedom of Information request to Ards Borough Council

Parliamentary and assembly representation

In elections for the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly most of the borough was included in the Strangford constituency, with part (Donaghadee North, Donaghadee South and Millisle) in the North Down constituency.<ref>Template:UK SI </ref>

Town twinning

The borough of Ards had a sister city (twinning) relationship with the city of Peoria, Arizona, USA. As a result of this relationship, regular exchange visits were made between the two communities by artists, educators, business, political and community leaders.

See also

• Local government in Northern Ireland

External links

• Ards Borough Council
• Armagh & Down Tourism