NEWS

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon presents Ahoghill community volunteer Wallace Elder with his award. Tuesday 3 November 2026 An Ahoghill volunteer has been recognised for his contribution to making Mid and East Antrim a greener and more welcoming place, as 19 individuals, schools and community groups were celebrated at this year’s Mid & East Antrim in Bloom Community Awards. Wallace Elder was named Volunteer of the Year at a special ceremony in Larne Marke

Sophie Baghus named Young Person of the Year at the Northern Ireland Social Enterprise Awards 2026 Friday 30 October 2026 A young entrepreneur who overcame mental health challenges and disruption to her education to start her own business at just 16 has been recognised with a major Northern Ireland award. Sophie Bagchus, who runs Sophie Bagchus Marketing and works with Carrickfergus Enterprise, has been named Young Person of the Year at the Northern Ireland Social Enterprise

Thursday 29 October 2026 Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has launched a recruitment process to appoint a permanent chief executive, offering an annual salary of up to £133,618 to lead the local authority responsible for Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne and surrounding communities. The appointment would bring an end to more than four years of interim leadership under Valerie Watts, who has held the position since June 2022. The permanent, Ballymena-based role carries an adv

Monday 26 October 2026 Mid and East Antrim councillors have been given details of millions of pounds spent on road improvements across the borough during the last financial year, alongside plans for further resurfacing, maintenance and street lighting upgrades in 2026/27. Presenting the Department for Infrastructure’s (DfI) annual roads report to the council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee at The Braid in Ballymena last week, Alan Keys, Divisional Roads Manager for

Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena Monday 26 October 2026 Leisure centres in Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus could open from 6am until 10pm on weekdays under plans approved by a Mid and East Antrim Borough Council committee to introduce longer, standardised opening hours across all three facilities. The proposals, which would affect Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena, Larne Leisure Centre and the Amphitheatre in Carrickfergus, are expected to come into operation

Belfast City Centre Monday 26 October 2026 Plans for a major overhaul of transport across Belfast and its surrounding metropolitan area have been unveiled, including a city centre-wide 20mph speed limit, new Glider routes, expanded cycling infrastructure and measures to reduce through-traffic. The proposals form part of the draft Eastern Transport Plan (ETP) 2035, which has been opened for public consultation by Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins. They could change how resid

Sunday 25 October 2026 Detectives are appealing for witnesses and information following two burglaries in Mid and East Antrim on Saturday 24 October, during which cash and jewellery were stolen from homes in Larne and Carrickfergus. Police are investigating the two separate incidents and have urged anyone with information or relevant CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage to come forward. Larne burglary discovered by homeowner In Larne, a homeowner returned to their property in th

The People’s Park, Ballymena Sunday 25 October 2026 Residents across Mid and East Antrim are being urged to avoid parks with heavy tree cover as Storm Boelo brings strong winds, prompting closures, cancelled activities and disruption to council services throughout the borough. People’s Park, Sentry Hill and Memorial Parks in Ballymena are among the locations affected, while several facilities in Larne and Carrickfergus have also been closed or placed under monitoring. Mid and

Ulster Wildlife’s marine conservation team joins volunteers at Carrickfergus oyster nursery to celebrate winning Biodiversity Initiative of the Year at the 2026 All-Ireland Sustainability Awards. Saturday 24 October 2026 A pioneering project helping to restore endangered native oysters to Northern Ireland’s coastal waters, including Carrickfergus and Glenarm, has won a prestigious all-Ireland biodiversity award. Ulster Wildlife has been named Biodiversity Initiative of the Ye

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon, pictured with members of the Mid and East Antrim Business Stakeholder Network and local business owner, Gina Thompson of Causeway Aromatics, after their recent meeting at Northern Regional College in Ballymena. Friday 23 October 2026 Businesses across Mid and East Antrim have secured more than £384,600 in additional funding through a council-backed support network, helping local firms invest in growth, develop new products

Wednesday 21 October 2026 Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has invested £1.5 million in new bin lorries and street cleaning equipment, with Ballymena among the towns set to benefit from the fleet upgrade. Six new refuse collection vehicles and three compact street sweepers have been purchased to support waste collection and street cleansing services across the borough. The investment forms part of the Council’s ongoing programme to modernise its fleet, improve the reliabil

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Tom Gordon Sunday 18 October 2026 Mid and East Antrim Mayor Alderman Tom Gordon has led tributes to people who have died in recent weeks, including victims of road tragedies and two respected figures from Northern Ireland’s arts and storytelling communities. Speaking at a meeting of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council at The Braid in Ballymena on Monday evening, the Mayor expressed his condolences to bereaved families and reflected on th

Local Household Recycling Centre (HRC) Tuesday 13 October 2026 Residents using vans as their only transport, double-axle trailers or horse boxes will need a permit before visiting Ballymena’s Waveney Road recycling centre under new rules taking effect on Monday 19 October. The online permit and booking system will also cover Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s main household recycling centres at Sullatober in Carrickfergus and Redlands in Larne. Residents visiting in a priv

Wednesday 7 October 2026 The roll-out of blue recycling bins across Ballymena, Carrickfergus and surrounding areas is scheduled to be completed by 31 July 2027, a Mid and East Antrim Borough Council committee report has revealed. A Performance Improvement Plan presented to a recent meeting of the council’s Corporate Resources Policy and Governance Committee at The Braid in Ballymena sets out the timetable for the change. Blue bins ready to roll Councillors were told the mixed

Councillor Aaron Skinner, Chairman of the Mid and East Antrim Disability Lived Experience Group is pictured with the volunteer members and council officers at the inaugural meeting of the group. Sunday 04 October 2026 Twelve residents with lived experience of disability are to help shape how Mid and East Antrim Borough Council designs its services, facilities, policies and projects. A direct voice in Council decisions The new Disability Lived Experience Group (DLEG) held its

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council received two complaints in relation to the opening of a wrong burial plot at one of its cemeteries, a report to councillors has revealed. The council’s Complaints, Comments and Compliments report for quarter one, covering 1 April to 30 June 2026, was presented at a recent meeting of the Corporate Resources, Policy and Governance Committee at The Braid in Ballymena. Overall, the council received 99 complaints during the quarter, compared wit

Sunday 04 October 2026 Mid and East Antrim Borough Council recorded 2,424 days lost to staff sickness in the final four months of 2025/26, although average absence fell below its target and improved on the previous year. Councillors were told that 155 employees were absent between 1 December 2025 and 31 March 2026, with mental health-related absence accounting for the largest number of days lost. The figures were presented to the council’s Corporate Resources, Policy and Gove

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon is pictured at the launch of the Connexus project funded by PEACEPLUS with Gobhnait Swift, Libraries Development and Community Policy at Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht; Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive at SEUPB; Karalynn McCutcheon, Head of Investment Branch at Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Ryan Black, Director of Growth & Major Projects at Mid & East Antrim Borough Council.

A 52-year-old Philip McMeekan Thursday 01 October 2026 A 52-year-old man has died following a single-vehicle motorcycle collision in Carrickfergus on Wednesday evening. Police have named the man as Philip McMeekan, who was from the Comber area. Collision on Shore Road Police said they received a report at approximately 7.25pm on Wednesday, 30 September, of a single-vehicle collision involving a Triumph Rocket motorcycle on the Shore Road. Emergency services attended the scene

Pictured at the Giant’s Causeway to launch this year’s competition is Alderman Thomas Gordon, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and founder of Noord and winner of last year's Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch, Sander Van Eck. Wednesday 30 September 2026 Ten entrepreneurs from across Mid and East Antrim will put their business ideas before judges this Friday, competing for £1,000 and the chance to represent the borough at a Northern Ireland final. From artisan baking a