 The first elections to the authority were on 22 May 2014 and it acted as a shadow authority, prior to the creation of the Ards and North Down district on 1 April 2015.The district was originally called "North Down and Ards" but the council was known as "Ards and North Down District Council".Councillors on the transitional shadow authority (prior to the council's official creation) voted on 15 December 2014 to submit an application to the Department of the Environment to change the name to "East Coast Borough Council" with effect from 1 April 2015.