Other News In Brief

Portrush And Portstewart To Host Annual Atlantic Music Festival

Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council has announced that musicians will visit Portrush and Portstewart next week to participate in the Atlantic Sessions Music Festival.

Over 100 musicians will attend the festival which will take place from 16 to 19 November in restaurants, hotels, and music venues. Each musician will play their own music for at least one hour, forming a music trail across the two resorts.

The Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council event has over 30 music trail gigs, free of charge, and no booking is required.

The music trail of free gigs will feature artists such as Paul Casey, John McCullough, Bello Duo, Polar Bolero, The Daisy Chain, Rhinos, Andy Rogers, Grainne Cooke, Luca FD, Acoustic Dan, Taylor Lally, Seefin, Brian Robb, Tyler Michael, Neil Martin and Rod McVey. Many will be premiering their work at the festival.

All music trail events are free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

Derry City And Strabane's Mayor Sets Eco-Friendly Example

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council has set an eco-friendly example by taking a Foyle Metro zero emission bus service for an entire day.

Mayor Councillor Patricia Logue pledged to travel via the city's new electric bus service to all civic engagements pencilled into the busy mayoral diary yesterday, 9 November, which included visits to the Old Library Trust, Waterside Shared Village and Culmore Hub.

With a mix of 38 single and double deck all-electric vehicles, the Foyle Metro zero emission fleet was formally launched in September. In addition, Translink customers using Foyle bus and coach services can now avail of on-board contactless payment for tickets, providing further convenience and flexibility.

Councillor Patricia Logue said: "I was delighted to board the innovative Foyle Metro zero emission bus service for an entire day while fulfilling my civic engagements, leaving the hybrid mayoral vehicle behind.

"I was struck by the remarkable convenience, comfort and accessibility offered by the service, coupled with the chance to use an emission-free mode of public transport. I would really encourage local people to play their part in the effort to reduce carbon footprints. Consider leaving the car at home, as doing so even once a week can make a meaningful difference to enhancing the air quality in our city. I hope that people take this message to heart and actively participate in our journey towards a greener, more vibrant city."

DUP Supports DoF Recognition Of Needs-Based Formula For NI Funding

DUP has welcomed comments from the Department of Finance (DoF) which endorses the party's calls for a needs-based formula to fund Northern Ireland.

The party's Deputy Leader Gavin Robinson MP said the recognition from DoF Permanent Secretary Neil Gibson is "another reminder of the facts being laid bare by the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council for many months".

In a statement, Mr Robinson said: "Northern Ireland is being short-changed by the current funding structures. The Northern Ireland Fiscal Council has produced several reports where they map out why Northern Ireland must arrest the spending gap. Whilst we have been falling behind in the amount available for public services, this is set to squeeze us even more dramatically in future years.

"The Treasury contribution to fund public services in Northern Ireland is going down rather than rising. As an example, in England up to 2025, spending will increase by 6% but only 3.6% in Northern Ireland.

"With a £300m shortfall last year and a £450m shortfall this year, our budget pressures will continue to get worse until the funding structure for Northern Ireland is properly addressed.

"It will be impossible to make the kind of public service reforms if Northern Ireland does not even have sufficient resource to stand still let alone invest in reforms."