O’Neill to facilitate the presentation of homeless petition to Belfast City Council

Alliance Councillor Sian O’Neill is to facilitate the presentation of a petition to Belfast City Council calling for all the organisation’s unused buildings to be opened up to house homeless people. East Belfast Councillor Ms O’Neill will welcome those bringing the petition – which has garnered over 16.000 signatures – tomorrow (Friday) as part of […]

McAllister welcomes interface barrier removal

Alliance North Belfast Councillor Nuala McAllister has welcomed the start of work to remove a local interface barrier. The Housing Executive today (Thursday) began removal of the so-called ‘peace wall’ on the Crumlin Road at Ardoyne, with it being replaced by decorative railings and environmental improvements. Cllr McAllister said the move had come about following […]

Dickson welcomes Maghaberry ‘stabilisation’

Alliance Justice spokesperson Stewart Dickson has welcomed news Maghaberry Prison has ‘stabilised’ following a new inspection report. East Antrim MLA Mr Dickson was speaking after the release of the latest Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland investigation, which took place in January and said action had been taken about previous concerns on safety and leadership. “The […]

O’Neill: Belfast City Hall to light up for Down’s Syndrome

Belfast City Hall will light up to mark World Down Syndrome Day in March, following a proposal made by Alliance Councillor Sian O’Neill. The East Belfast Councillor said she was ‘delighted’ Belfast City Hall would be lit up green on March 21, adding she was ‘inspired’ to raise awareness of the condition thanks to the […]

Morrow hits out at SDLP over equality issues

Alliance South Belfast representative Duncan Morrow has hit out at the SDLP claiming the party is “operating a sliding scale of equality” and abusing the petition of concern mechanism He was speaking after SDLP leader Colum Eastwood stated on today’s Nolan Show he was disappointed a petition of concern had been used in a previous […]

Lunn supports Special Olympics

Alliance Assembly member Trevor Lunn has highlighted the important role the Special Olympics plays in the lives of hundreds of young people across Northern Ireland. The MLA for Lagan Valley was speaking after attending a Special Olympics bowling event at Lisburn Leisure Park, where he presented medals to participants. He said: “For many young people, […]

Bradshaw welcomes smoking in vehicles ban

Alliance Councillor Paula Bradshaw has welcomed an Assembly ban on smoking in vehicles when children are present. The South Belfast representative was speaking after the Assembly passed the change, which is unlikely to come into effect before early next year. “Our understanding to the dangers of smoking has evolved considerably over the past number of […]

Dickson: A vote to exit the EU will leave our nation weak and divided

Northern Ireland will remain stronger as part of the European Union, Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson has said, as he confirmed the Alliance Party would support remaining within the EU. The Party’s European spokesperson was speaking after the Prime Minister set the date for the in/out referendum, shortly after agreeing a new deal on Europe which […]

Farry announces financial scheme for part-time students

Alliance Employment Minister Stephen Farry has announced a scheme to allow part-time students to access top-up loans to pay for tuition fees. Around 20,000 students are expected to be able to access the scheme, which will become available next year. Students with lower incomes will still be able to access existing grants. “At the moment, […]