Other News In Brief

DUP Leader Welcomes To New Councillors To South Down

DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said that "unionism is moving forward together in South Down" as he welcomed two Newry, Mourne and Down Councillors to the Party.

Slieve Croob Councillor Alan Lewis and Mournes Councillor Henry Reilly have announced their decision to join the DUP.

Sir Jeffrey said: "I am delighted to welcome Alan and Henry to the DUP. They join many other new members who are now part of a vibrant and growing party within South Down and I pay tribute to Diane Forsythe MLA who has led that growth.

"I have known Henry over many years and he has always been a dedicated representative, focused on delivering for the people of the Mournes, and dedicated to strengthening our place within the United Kingdom. Since his election in 2019 Alan has also been a fearless and hardworking representative, focused on uniting and strengthening unionism within South Down.

"I want to see a stronger and more cohesive unionism, working to strengthen our place within the Union. There is a unity of purpose within unionism in opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol, and as leader of the DUP I will do everything in my power to build upon that. To anyone who wants to build a better Northern Ireland, I issue a warm invitation to join Alan and Henry and many others across Northern Ireland who have joined us in building a more united unionism."

Final PwC Assured Skills Academy Announced

The eight and last in the series of planned PwC Professional Services Assured Skills Academies has been announced by Economy Minister Gordon Lyons.

Funded by the Department for the Economy, this final PwC Professional Services Assured Skills Academy will see 20 participants receive eight weeks of industry-relevant pre-employment training delivered by Belfast Metropolitan College (BMC) through a combination of attended and virtual learning.

Encouraging those who meet the entry criteria to apply Gordon Lyons said: "Through our partnership with PwC and Belfast Metropolitan College, we have provided hundreds of people with the skills they need for an exciting career in the professional services sector.

"As we move into a decade of economic transformation around our 10X Economic Vision, strengthening our local skills base and investing in skills is essential to grow our economy. My Department's Assured Skills Academies have a proven successful track record in providing people with high-quality training while helping employers access the skilled people they need to grow. These training places will position participants strongly to compete for a job with PwC in this exciting sector and I would encourage anyone interested to apply."

SDLP Disappointed Belfast Misses Out On Eurovision Shortlist

SDLP councillor Séamas de Faoite has expressed his disappointment after Belfast missed out on being shortlisted as a host city for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

Councillor de Faoite thanked everyone who supported the bid to bring the event to Belfast, including fellow councillors and council officers.

He said Belfast remained a city capable of hosting major events and has much to be proud of.

Councillor de Faoite said: "While we are naturally disappointed that Belfast failed to be shortlisted as a host city for next year’s Eurovision I am proud of the all the work that went into making this bid a reality, particularly the cross-party element which showed what we can achieve when we work together to make our city a better place for everyone who lives here.

"We were not successful on this occasion, but Belfast remains a city capable of hosting large scale events as we have proved repeatedly in the past with everything from music festivals to award shows and conferences. Next year Belfast will play host to the One Young World summit that will attract thousands of young people to our city and we’re also hoping to attract the All Ireland Fleadh which brings a real carnival atmosphere wherever it goes.

"Unfortunately our bid was hampered, like many things in the North, by the lack of functioning Executive to lead the way and lobby on our behalf. We are blessed with great people, we have the talent and vision, but if we are ever going to address the issues around a lack of space, our infrastructure and maximise the potential of our nighttime economy to enable us to attract major events like Eurovision then we need an Executive up and running to deliver on these issues."