Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has been asked to outline progress on implementing a recovery plan for Ballymena following civil unrest and public disorder in June 2025.

At a council meeting, Ballymena Independent Councillor Rodney Quigley asked what action has been taken since the disorder, which followed a peaceful protest and lasted several days. The unrest was largely targeted at minority communities in a specific area of Ballymena, with related disorder also reported in Larne, including an arson attack at Larne Leisure Centre. Policing costs were reported at £5 million.

A committee report stated the disorder had a negative impact on the community's relationship with the PSNI and statutory agencies and caused fear among the wider ethnic minority community.

Councillor Quigley noted that the council approved a recovery plan last November and asked what has been done to implement it. He said he and other members sought support from the senior management team to deliver the recovery, and asked whether funding had been secured from the Executive Office or elsewhere. He also asked if the senior management team had met with the Executive Office to seek support for Ballymena and the wider borough.

He said he attended the launch of a new recovery plan by the Ballymena South Community Forum on 24 September and was disappointed that no-one from the senior management team attended.

Interim chief executive Valerie Watts apologised for the absence of a senior manager at the event, held in the Adair Arms hotel. She said the council worked hard to help pull the recovery plan together and that all senior management team members are fully behind it. She said there was too much detail to give specific answers at the meeting but offered to bring a report to the next full council or appropriate committee.

Councillor Quigley said he was heartened by the response and acknowledged the council had been helpful on the ground since the issues last year, but said something needs to be set in stone. He said people in Harryville and Clonavon had suffered for years and that the council cannot afford to take the community for granted again. He asked for a report and for funding to be brought into the area.

Ballymena Alliance Councillor Jack Gibson also asked for an update and praised the ideas and vision shared at the event.

The Executive Office sought proposals from all councils in Northern Ireland for programmes or interventions to address social and racial cohesion following the disorder.