Clanmil Housing Group Appoints New Chair

A housing association in Northern Ireland has appointed a new Chair.

Ms Joy Scott has been selected as the new Chair The Clanmil Housing Group.

She has been a member of the Clanmil Board since 2012 and Vice Chair since 2014, has taken the top role at the association, which provides almost 5,000 high quality social and affordable homes throughout Northern Ireland for families and older people.

Clare McCarty, Group Chief Executive at Clanmil, said: "With high waiting lists for homes and recent changes to the welfare system, many people are struggling more than ever to find a home and make ends meet. As well as providing great homes, our focus is on helping the people who live in those homes to thrive.

"Joy has brought invaluable experience and insight to our Board that has helped us frame our strategic direction and I am very much looking forward to working with her as Chair to achieve Clanmil''s social purpose."

50 New Jobs To Be Created In L'Derry

A total of 50 jobs are to be created at a new Eurospar store in Skeoge, L'Derry.

SDLP Councillor Brian Tierney welcomed the announcement.

He said: "Skeoge is currently expanding into one of the larger new developments in the city and local people will make good use of the store and added services it will bring to the area.

"I firmly believe that when building a completely new area such as Skeoge, that proper facilities need to be included in any plans.

"The new store will include a post office a deli counter, a butchers, a local bakery and an ATM amongst its services which will be available to local people in that area."

York Street Interchange Redevelopment Programme Delayed

The Ulster Unionist Party’s Infrastructure Spokesperson, John Stewart MLA, has described the latest delay to the £130m York Street Interchange redevelopment programme as "quite incredible".

Mr Stewart said: "The Ulster Unionist Party has consistently argued that the York Street Interchange should be the top priority for infrastructure spend, given that it is the single biggest blockage in Northern Ireland’s transport system. It is used by 100,000 vehicles every single day and is the source of major congestion.

"This is not some minor set of road works. It is a £130m project and it is quite incredible that this long overdue redevelopment project is to be further delayed due to a successful legal challenge regarding the tendering process.

"This is hugely frustrating for every motorist and road haulier who has ever found themselves caught up at that particular bottleneck affecting journey times on what is our main economic corridor.

"If there was one tendering process within the Department of Infrastructure that should have been subject to the most intensive internal scrutiny so as to make sure all the 'i's were dotted and all the 't's crossed, then this surely has to be it.

"Instead it has collapsed in court at the first legal challenge. Coming so soon after the shambles of RHI and the Hightown Incinerator decision, people will quite rightly be asking serious questions about just what exactly is going on in terms of the governance of Northern Ireland."

(CD/MH)