Other News In Brief

Rates Discount Deadline 16 June

Land & Property Services (LPS) has issued a reminder to customers that there is a 4% discount available to all domestic ratepayers if they pay their 2017/18 rate bill in full by Friday, 16 June.

The discount is available to ratepayers of occupied or vacant domestic properties.

Direct Debit is the easiest and most convenient way to pay. Ratepayers can set up a Direct Debit online to pay their bill in full, and will avail of the 4% discount if they do so by Friday, 16 June at www.nidirect.gov.uk/rates-direct-debit-online. 

Domestic ratepayers can also pay online with a debit or credit card to avail of the 4% discount if they pay in full by Friday 16 June at www.nidirect.gov.uk/rates-online.

For all other payments, at a local Post Office or any PayPoint outlet using the 'Rates Quick Pay Card,' by phone or in person at an LPS Customer Information Centre, LPS advises ratepayers to allow 5 days for payment to be received by LPS.

Resurfacing Works To Begin In Ballymena On 12 June

A £250,000 scheme to resurface Ballymena town centre streets will commence on Monday, 12 June.

Following on from the recent council public realm works, the resurfacing will provide new asphalt road surfaces for Church Street, Wellington Street and Ballymoney Street.

The footways within the town centre were reconstructed as part of the public realm scheme and the planned resurfacing works will address the very poor condition of existing road surfaces. Upon completion it will provide a significant improvement to the urban network and appearance of the town centre.

Resurfacing works will include new asphalt surfaces along Church Street from Broadway to Linenhall Street, Wellington Street from Mill Street to Broadway and also Ballymoney Street from Broadway to Hill Street. Work will commence on Monday 12 June 2017 and is scheduled for completion by Friday 7 July 2017. 

QUB Falls Out Of Top 200 Universities In The World

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) has fallen seven places to 202 in world university rankings, the QS World University Rankings for 2017/18.

In 2016/17 QUB had been ranked 195th best university in the world.

Considered the most authoritative university rankings in the world, the QS rankings list some 4,300 institutions, ranking the top 1000.

The ratings are based on a number of factors, including evaluating each university's strengths in research, teaching, academic reputation, staff to student ratio and the number of international staff and students.

(MH/LM)