Smell Of Success

One-year-old Ella McErlean smells the daffodils in Barnetts Demesne as Belfast City Council reaches the final of a UK wide competition for excellence in public service in two separate areas. The Parks and Leisure Improvement plan has been short-listed under Best Efficiency while our litter campaign 'Litter. It's not a good look' is short-listed under the Best Environmental Category. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony next month in Bristol. Organised by the Association for Public Service Excellence, more than 300 submissions were made for the awards.

Teen Serious After Assault

A teenager has been seriously injured in an attack in Antrim. Detectives are appealing for information following the assault, which happened 3am on Friday and saw the 17-year-old approached by three males in the Station Road area of the town and attacked. He was taken to hospital for treatment, where his condition is described as serious.

Banking On Cash

The NI Finance Minister Sammy Wilson has welcomed confirmation of the first tranche of dormant accounts funds. The Dormant Accounts Scheme is a UK-led scheme that aims to make use of funding in inactive bank accounts to further good causes. The scheme is additional to public expenditure and does not form part of the Executives' Budget. The funds will be made available to the Big Lottery Fund by the Reclaim Fund. The Minister is awaiting confirmation on the amount to be distributed within Northern Ireland. "Under the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008, the UK Government created legislation to allow all four regions of the UK to reinvest dormant account money into local communities - the apportionment of the available funds will be by the Barnett Formula. Once, I have clarity as to the overall amounts likely to be available to Northern Ireland I will bring forward my proposals as to our spending priorities. My aim is to put in place, if possible, a package of programmes that will outlast funding available under the Scheme," he said.

CAP Fits

Details of CAP related payments made to people running a farm as a limited business have now been published on the UK's agriculture Defra website in relation to the 2009 and 2010 EU financial years. This information is being released in accordance with European Union legislation aimed at improving transparency in relation to expenditure incurred in implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Last November the European Court of Justice found the EU legislation on this subject to be invalid in so far as it had included all recipients of CAP payments, including individual beneficiaries. The new ruling decided that data only relating to legal persons is now being published. CAP payment information relating to sole traders and partnerships/other groups without separate legal personality and will not be published in accordance with the regulations.

Fraud Found Out

A man was convicted at Bangor Magistrates' court this week for claiming benefits he was not entitled to. Samuel Foster (61) of Holborn Avenue, Bangor claimed Jobseekers Allowance totalling £8,074 while failing to declare capital. He was given 150 hours community service, a two-year conditional discharge and a repayment order of £8,074 with 26 weeks to pay. He also has to pay court costs of £51. The money wrongfully obtained will be repaid to the Social Security Agency.

(BMcC/GK)