SDLP Welcomes News NW200 Will Go Ahead

The SDLP has welcomed the news that the North West 200 will go ahead this year.

Road racing looked set to be called off due to high insurance costs.

Ms Hunter said the news would be a welcome boost to people on the North Coast and further afield.

East Derry MLA Cara Hunter said: "The cancellation of the road racing programme for 2023 devastated people right across the North Coast and further afield. Many businesses here rely on the people that these events attract to the area and thousands look forward to them taking place every year. The outcry prompted by the announcement that these events would not take place shows just how much it means to people here.

"I'm delighted that a solution has been found that will allow the North West 200 and other events to go ahead this year. This is good news not just for road racing fans, but for the local economy which stands to benefit from millions being spent in our hotels, bars, restaurants and other local businesses who love to see these events taking place and the buzz that they bring with them.

"Going forward I believe that we need to look at long-term funding solutions that will allow people right across the North to enjoy road racing for generations to come. These events are part of the fabric of this area and for many they are the highlight of the year. I will continue to support our road racing community and work with organisers to ensure that we don't find ourselves in this position again in future."

Belfast City Council Event Highlights Sign Language Week

Belfast City Council have hosted an event at City Hall to mark Sign Language Week.

Sign Language Week runs from 13 to 19 March 2023 and the event was organised by Belfast City Council in partnership with the British Deaf Association (BDA).

Lord Mayor, Councillor Tina Black, opened the event joined by members of the local Deaf community and local organisations working to support BSL (British Sign Language) and ISL (Irish Sign Language) users in the city.

Topics covered looked at the importance of ISL and BSL on healthcare access for the Deaf community and supporting equality and better communication.

A number of council staff were also in attendance and were presented with certificates for completing sign language courses during the year.

Lord Mayor Tina Black said "I'm delighted to be at this special event in City Hall today to mark and celebrate Sign Language Week.

"This year's theme is ‘Protecting BSL & ISL' and we, as a Council, are committed to making the city as accessible as possible to all our Sign Language residents and visitors.  This is a vital part of our plan towards Belfast becoming an inclusive and accessible city, as set out in our Belfast Agenda. We signed up to the BSL and ISL Charter in March 2019 and this remains a commitment today.

"We also have a Language Strategy and Disability Strategy Action Plan which embeds our commitment to breaking down language and communication barriers."

Belfast City Council was the first Northern Ireland council to sign up to the British Deaf Association's Sign Language Charter committing to promote better access to public services for Deaf people. The Sign Language Users Forum was set up, as a result, in 2019.

Rebecca Mansell, Chief Executive of the British Deaf Association, said: "It is our mission as guardians of BSL and ISL in Northern Ireland to protect and preserve our language.

"It is our ambition to build upon the recognition of our two languages here and get more people across the country learning BSL and ISL and becoming allies of the Deaf community, who can support us as we work to protect, preserve and promote our beautiful, unique, visual languages for future generations to come."

SF Urge Energy Firms To Improve Communications With The Public

Sinn Féin has called Northern Ireland's energy firms to improve their communications with the public.

MLA Maolíosa McHugh made the call after the Utility Regulator highlighted 'far from acceptable' customer service levels within some local energy companies, the West Tyrone MLA said: "My office has received several reports from people who have not yet received their £600 payment and many of them finding it extremely difficult to contact their energy supplier.

"Elected representatives have also had difficulty in contacting energy companies to get clarity for constituents on when they will receive the money.

"There is an onus on energy companies to improve communication with people and elected representatives on issues to avoid the uncertainty and anxiety that people have been left with when they didn't receive their payment.

"People have already waited too long for this payment. We need an Executive up and running and a minister in place to represent the interests of local people on issues like this."