Under the Review of Public Administration (RPA) the council was due to merge with
Ards in 2011 to form a single council for the enlarged area totalling 451 km2 and a population of 149,567. The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on 25 April 2008,
Shaun Woodward,
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until the introduction of the eleven new councils in 2011. It took place in 2015. ==Population==