Rates set to rise again as Mid & East Antrim Council weighs costs of major projects

Mid and East Antrim Council chamber

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council will hold a special meeting this evening (Monday, 9 February) to strike the domestic and non-domestic rate for the 2026/27 financial year.

For a second consecutive year, the local authority is expected to strike a single rate for households and businesses.

Last-minute negotiations are likely to continue behind closed doors at The Braid in Ballymena, following a series of rates workshops held in recent months, before a figure is proposed.

It is understood an increase can be expected, likely to be around or below the rate of inflation, which stood at 3.6 per cent up to December last year.

During the 2025/26 financial year, rates in Mid and East Antrim increased by 3.99 per cent. From April, the average householder’s bill rose by 98p per week (or £51 per year), while the average small business saw an increase of £11 per week (or £572 per year).

The district rate funds services including waste collection, leisure provision, business support, community support, parks and regeneration. The council’s portion of the rates bill accounts for just under 50 per cent of what residents pay, with the remainder set by the Stormont Executive through the regional rate.

In a statement issued ahead of the meeting, Brian McRandal, chair of Larne Business Forum, commented:

“Members of Larne Business Forum wait with fingers crossed to hear the outcome of the rate-setting process, which is due to conclude at a special council meeting this evening.

“The move to ‘super-councils’ has certainly led to many years of super bills for businesses in Larne, with virtually nothing to show in terms of strategic investment in our town centre. The current rate-setting process is an opportunity for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to begin to correct that legacy — will it do so, or will this be another lost opportunity?”

Mr McRandal said the business forum has been engaged with the council for more than two years regarding investment in Larne — a process he described as both “challenging and frustrating”.

He added that the council, and the Department for Communities, need to “move away from projects which are literally painting over the problems in our town and commit to long-term strategic investments in Larne”.

He also noted ongoing positive engagement by the council in the Larne Community Wealth Building Partnership as “one possible sign of light at the end of the tunnel”.

Last month, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council granted planning permission for a new £25 million leisure centre in Ballymena [although it is understood the much-needed new leisure centre is not included in the borough’s capital expenditure plan].

Alliance councillor Jack Gibson welcomed the approval of planning permission for the facility, which is earmarked for a site at the former St Patrick’s Barracks on Demesne Avenue, approximately 400 metres from the existing Seven Towers Leisure Centre.

In a statement issued at the time to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Gibson said:

“The leisure centre has been a matter of huge concern for me since joining the council. The town and surrounding area desperately need a new facility, but at present it is still not clear how we can pay for it.

“My colleagues and I have been, and continue to be, working closely with officers to try to find a way to fund the facility we need without placing an undue burden on our ratepayers.”

Minutes from a Belfast Region City Deal quarterly report, presented behind closed doors at the council’s Environment and Economy Committee meeting in December, stated that an estimated additional £3.2 million in funding would be required for the proposed i4C centre in Ballymena.

The £24 million i4C facility, also proposed for the former St Patrick’s Barracks site, would involve the construction of a new innovation and “clean technology” centre for small and medium-sized enterprises. A contribution of £20.5 million is due to be provided through the Belfast Region City Deal.

Councillors were also told officers are continuing to explore a “reduced scope” option for phase two of The Gobbins visitor attraction in Islandmagee. It was noted that the reduced option would still require additional funding of almost £2 million, with Belfast Region City Deal contributing £12.6 million towards the project.