Ards and North Down Borough Council

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.

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

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

• Local government services
• Waste management
• Community planning
• Planning applications
• Tourism promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangor

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Local Government Funding: Funded through central government grants and local council tax revenue. Standard local authority funding model for public service delivery.
2. 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

Core 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

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mae Murray FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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 IrelandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional 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.
• SignVideocoreTechnology or IntegrationBritish 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory 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)coreTechnology or IntegrationAccessibility 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 or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership that secured £4.152 million to drive sustainable economic growth in the Borough. Collaborative initiative focused on economic development priorities.
• The Copeland DistilleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal distillery in Donaghadee featured in tourism promotion as part of the region's food and drink experiences and NI Spirits Trail.
• Echlinville DistilleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal distillery in Kircubbin featured in tourism promotion as part of the region's food and drink experiences and NI Spirits Trail.
• GOSS InteractivecoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital platform technology provider for the council's website, online self-service, and web content management systems.
• SimpleviewcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing the tourism website platform for visitardsandnorthdown.com. Credits include 'Made by Simpleview'.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/ANDborough
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCCzR2Jjhg-zT9coG5yLfvA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ards-and-North-Down-Borough-Council-128997763818679
• Instagraminstagram.com/ardsandnorthdownboroughcouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ards-and-north-down-borough-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&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