Ards and North Down Borough Council
Ards and North Down Borough Council is a statutory local government authority in Northern Ireland, delivering public services, community planning, economic development, and tourism promotion to residents, businesses, and visitors of the Borough from its Bangor headquarters.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBangor, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Ards and North Down Borough Council does
Ards and North Down Borough Council is a statutory local government authority in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, established in 2015 through the merger of the former Ards Borough Council and North Down Borough Council under the Northern Ireland Local Government Reform programme. Operating from City Hall at The Castle in Bangor, the council employs 282 staff and delivers statutory and discretionary public services — including planning, building control, waste management (with an HRC booking system), civil ceremonies, and births/deaths/marriages registrations — to the residents, businesses, and visitors of the Ards and North Down Borough in County Down.
The council's digital infrastructure is built on the GOSS Interactive platform, providing a citizen self-service portal (ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk), a dedicated tourism platform (visitardsandnorthdown.com, powered by Simpleview), and a community planning portal supporting The Big Plan (2017-2032). Accessibility is delivered through Reachdeck (speech, reading, and translation tools) and SignVideo BSL interpretation, ensuring compliance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 enforced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Sub-brands include AND Culture (arts and heritage), Taste Ards and North Down, and Taste AND (food and drink initiatives).
Revenue is derived from central government grants, local council tax, and statutory service fees — the standard Northern Ireland local authority funding model. The council operates a direct-to-citizen go-to-market model through digital self-service, in-person services at City Hall, telephone contact (0300 013 3333), and an active social media presence across Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Strategic priorities are anchored in The Big Plan 2017-2032, with notable achievements including £4.152 million secured via the Local Economic Partnership, 18,000 trees planted in the latest planting season, and Blue Flag/Seaside Award recognition for four Borough beaches. The council is not a commercial entity and has no shareholders, private investors, or stock listing.
Ards and North Down Borough Council firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ards and North Down Borough Council
- Legal name
- Ards and North Down Borough Council
- Website
- https://ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Ards and North Down Borough Council is a statutory local government authority in Northern Ireland, delivering public services, community planning, economic development, and tourism promotion to residents, businesses, and visitors of the Borough from its Bangor headquarters.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ards and North Down Borough Council industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Government Services
- NAICS
- Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925)
- SIC
- Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)
Keywords
Where Ards and North Down Borough Council is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bangor
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ards and North Down Borough Council business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Local Government Funding: Funded through central government grants and local council tax revenue. Standard local authority funding model for public service delivery.
- Service Fees and Charges: Various statutory and non-statutory service fees including planning applications, building control, civil ceremonies, facility rentals, and other council services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Ards and North Down Borough Council product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ards and North Down Borough Council is a statutory local government authority providing public services to residents, businesses, and visitors of the Ards and North Down borough in County Down, Northern Ireland. Core services include waste management (bins, HRC booking), planning and building control, civil registrations (births, deaths, marriages), councillor engagement, community planning through The Big Plan (2017-2032), economic development support, tourism promotion via the Visit Ards and North Down platform, cultural programming, and environmental initiatives.
Product overview
Ards and North Down Borough Council operates a multi-platform digital service portfolio consisting of its primary citizen portal offering self-service access to core council functions (meetings, planning, waste management, reporting), a dedicated tourism platform (Visit Ards and North Down) promoting the region to visitors, a community planning portal for public participation in strategic development (The Big Plan), and a news and communications hub. The council's digital infrastructure is built on GOSS platform technology and incorporates accessibility tools (Reachdeck) and translation services (Google Translate) to serve diverse residents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Visit Ards and North Down: Official tourism website for Ards and North Down promoting tourism, accommodation, and visitor experiences
- AND Culture
- Taste Ards and North Down
- Taste AND
Products and services
- Ards and North Down Borough Council Citizen Portal
Quantifiable outcome
- 18,000 trees planted during latest tree planting season
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ards and North Down Borough Council
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ards and North Down Borough Council technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Ards and North Down Borough Council partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Mae Murray FoundationcorePartnership for Groomsport Inclusive Beach initiative, providing accessible beach experience for people with disabilities. The 2026 season runs until Sunday 29 August, with the scheme open every Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am to 4.30pm. This is the fifth year of the partnership promoting accessibility and inclusion.
- Tourism Northern IrelandcoreRegional tourism partnership promoting Northern Ireland and Ards and North Down as a visitor destination. Promotional collaboration under the 'Embrace a Giant Spirit' brand. The council's tourism website is ratings powered by Tourism Northern Ireland.
- SignVideocoreBritish Sign Language (BSL) video relay service providing deaf and hard of hearing customers instant access to BSL interpretation. Free service from customer's own home, also available via iPad at Council venues during Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
- Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI)coreRegulatory body responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 in Northern Ireland. Handles accessibility complaints and enforcement.
- Reachdeck (formerly BrowseAloud)coreAccessibility software integrated into the council website. Adds speech, reading and translation support tools to online content, allowing users to change colours, contrast levels, fonts, zoom in, navigate via keyboard or speech recognition, and listen to content using screen readers.
- Ards and North Down Local Economic PartnershipcoreStrategic partnership that secured £4.152 million to drive sustainable economic growth in the Borough. Collaborative initiative focused on economic development priorities.
- The Copeland DistilleryminorLocal distillery in Donaghadee featured in tourism promotion as part of the region's food and drink experiences and NI Spirits Trail.
- Echlinville DistilleryminorLocal distillery in Kircubbin featured in tourism promotion as part of the region's food and drink experiences and NI Spirits Trail.
- GOSS InteractivecoreDigital platform technology provider for the council's website, online self-service, and web content management systems.
- SimpleviewcoreTechnology partner providing the tourism website platform for visitardsandnorthdown.com. Credits include 'Made by Simpleview'.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ards and North Down Borough Council competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council: Northern Ireland borough council with a strong coastal tourism proposition (Giant's Causeway), making it a comparable peer for tourism-led economic development and visitor services strategies.
- Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council: Northern Ireland council of similar scale and footprint, also operating a citizen portal, tourism marketing, and community planning framework under the same statutory regime.
- Mid and East Antrim Borough Council: Another 2015-reform Northern Ireland borough council with analogous responsibilities, including coastal tourism (e.g., Carrickfergus), planning, and community planning against a long-term strategic plan.
- Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council: Northern Ireland borough council created in the same 2015 reform programme with identical statutory powers, service scope, and funding model. Operates a comparable citizen portal and tourism/remunicipalization functions.
- Fermanagh and Omagh District Council: Northern Ireland council with combined rural and tourism functions; comparable for strategy benchmarking on rural regeneration, tourism marketing, and council tax-funded service delivery.
- Belfast City Council: The largest local government authority in Northern Ireland, also established under the 2015 reform. Provides the same statutory local services, planning, tourism, and community planning functions in a comparable UK jurisdiction, making it the most directly comparable peer.
- Mid Ulster District Council: Northern Ireland council with comparable statutory remit and shared funding/reporting structures, useful as a benchmark for cost efficiency and service delivery in the same jurisdiction.
- Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council: Large Northern Ireland council operating across urban, rural, and coastal geographies with similar statutory functions, community planning, and economic development programs.
- Newry, Mourne and Down District Council: Neighboring Northern Ireland council covering County Down with a similar coastal and rural mix. Delivers identical statutory services, has its own tourism platform, and competes with Ards and North Down for visitor share in the same region.
Broad incumbents
- Cornwall Council: Large English unitary authority with extensive coastline, tourism, and community planning functions. Operates at a much larger scale but provides a useful comparable for the council's coastal tourism and regeneration strategy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ards and North Down Borough Council social profiles
Digital presenceArds and North Down Borough Council financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ards and North Down Borough Council leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ards and North Down Borough Council funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ards and North Down Borough Council M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ards and North Down Borough Council
What does Ards and North Down Borough Council do?
Ards and North Down Borough Council is a statutory local government authority providing public services to residents, businesses, and visitors of the Ards and North Down borough in County Down, Northern Ireland. Core services include waste management (bins, HRC booking), planning and building control, civil registrations (births, deaths, marriages), councillor engagement, community planning through The Big Plan (2017-2032), economic development support, tourism promotion via the Visit Ards and North Down platform, cultural programming, and environmental initiatives.
Is Ards and North Down Borough Council a public or private company?
Ards and North Down Borough Council is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Ards and North Down Borough Council founded?
Ards and North Down Borough Council was founded in 2015. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Ards and North Down Borough Council based?
Ards and North Down Borough Council is headquartered in Bangor, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Ards and North Down Borough Council make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Local Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are service Fees and Charges.
Who are Ards and North Down Borough Council's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Belfast City Council, Mid Ulster District Council, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. Cornwall Council is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Ards and North Down Borough Council have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ards and North Down Borough Council.
What industry is Ards and North Down Borough Council in?
Ards and North Down Borough Council's product category is Local Government Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAJ, Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs). Its NAICS code is 921 and its SIC code is 6512.