Nothing has been delivered, he said, and we are paying far, far more.. The rates rise was met with opposition from several councillors following a meeting on Monday, The money generated by rates is used to pay for public services, 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat. Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism! A former DUP councillor has joined the Ulster Unionist Party. Gardai confirm bodies taken following incidents in Drumkeen and Letterkenny. Council. We took on the airport, which is costing us approximately four million pounds per year. The Special Council meeting can be viewed back above. Derry City and Strabane District Council's Arts & Culture Co-Delivery Group will host a special discussion event reflecting on its Arts & Culture sector in the 10 years since the City secured the first ever UK City of Culture designation in 2013. Derry City and Strabane District Council currently has a total of 5,654 non-domestic properties, of which 15% are fully exempt from rates, 65% are small businesses, who can avail of small business rates relief ranging between 20% and 50% of their rates bills, and 7% are de-rated that represents manufacturing companies for example who get derating relief of between 70%-80% of their rates bills, with the remaining 13% subject to full rates. Derry City and Strabane District Council have launched a new fitness initiative at the Foyle Arena to encourage the public to take the first steps on their fitness journey. This is the height of hypocrisy and the vote last year was clearly done on a cynical rather than principled basis. Derry City Council borrowed millions of pounds and built the Foyle Arena and carried out public realms schemes. Tyrone, BT82 8DY We are inviting artists, organisations, venues, audiences and volunteers to share their thoughts and energies as part of an open, inclusive, honest and constructive City Conversation about arts and culture. "We would all like to see it at zero but when you go that low you are affecting people's jobs," he added. Council keeps putting the rates up, it just tries to figure out by how much, said Declan Moore. A cursory glance at the local media over the last 10 years reveals Strabane has been promised a major public realm scheme, costing seven million pounds, to do up the whole of Strabane Town, from Asda to the Head of the Town area. Loughs Agency will be present at the Melvin Sports Complex to provide guidance for anglers on licensing issues, and the event will also provide a platform for promoting the projects and work we have been carrying out in the Foyle and Carlingford catchment areas., Admission to the North West Angling Fair is free, for full details visit: www.derrystrabane.com/anglingfair, World class line-up for 2023 North West Angling Fair. Tel: (028) 7125 3253. Basically, Strabane went into the merger with very few facilities and took on the debt of Derry City Council. staff efficiency savings/ voluntary severance; overhead efficiency savings; income generation including increase in off street car parking, building control and commercial refuse charges and sports development grant income; reductions in street cleansing and grounds maintenance services; alternate shared opening of rural recycling centres; reductions in external service level agreements and a small reduction to festivals programme budgets; reductions to other non-core programme budgets including business support, tourism, regeneration, museum programming, Christmas lighting, investment, marketing, arts and culture, health promotion and museum programming. Speaking before this afternoons Rate meeting, one Strabane councillor also expressed concern at the disparity in funding between Derry City and Strabane. 47 Derry Rd Strabane Tyrone, BT82 8DY Tel: (028) 7125 3253 The savings identified will also enable Council to continue to deliver a full suite of critical front line services to ratepayers and any cutbacks in budgets agreed were made to ensure a minimal impact on the public with all services being maintained and jobs protected. Please note our offices are currently closed to the public due to concerns around the spread of COVID-19, 98 Strand Road, Map, 47 Derry Rd A poor election for Sinn Fin in the north-west. Councillor Paul Gallagher, who sits on Derry City and Strabane District Council, described the increase in his area as "driving austerity on the people of this district who are facing great hardship". Derry, BT48 7NN There will be a demonstrable imbalance between Strabane and Derry. The first elections to the authority were on 22 May 2014 and it acted as a shadow authority to its two predecessors until the new district formally came into being on 1 April 2015. That all contributes to our Rates bill, which comes to more than 10 million per year, said Cllr Gallagher, who predicted the Rate rise of almost 8% would be voted through. The rates rise was met with opposition from several councillors following a meeting on Monday. environmental health, grounds maintenance, parks and cemeteries, leisure, sport, health and community development and support, and vital corporate support services. To continue reading this article, please subscribe and support local journalism! As part of this rates process, Council has worked proactively to maintain funding to community organisations and arts and culture groups who are reliant on Council grant funding to deliver essential community services and projects,with the exception ofsome cutbacks to service level agreements to Visit Derry and the Millennium Forum. Derry and Strabane councillors have agreed to write to the UK Treasury requesting additional funding for its city deal at a meeting on Tuesday. I am not undermining what Council is doing but this rates rise comes across as the laziest option. Tory austerity is negatively impacting every facet of life in the North and people here are suffering as a result. On Monday evening, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council agreed to increase its rates by 4.9%. The increases in business rates levied by the 11 councils across the North was also described as hugely disappointing by Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, Neil Johnston. Over three-quarters of councillors in Northern Ireland have been subjected to abuse or intimidation, a new survey from the Local Government Association has. This conversation will enable us to reflect together on what we have learned and to begin to articulate where we go from here. The rates rise was set at a Special Meeting of Council today, Monday, 13 February 2023, where it was highlighted that the last year has seen unprecedented financial challenges for Council as well as for. 98 Strand Road On Wednesday a Derry City and Strabane District Council committee voted to return to a two-way traffic system. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie. Good Relations - Ballyarnett and Foyleside DEA Good Relations - Waterside DEA and Derg DEA I would argue Derry City and Strabane District Council spends more than ten million pounds of its annual spend duplicating services which the central government should be doing. This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. It also promotes our Council area from a tourism perspective, highlighting the natural resources we are blessed with that make us an ideal visitor destination for anglers.. Welcome to the official LinkedIn page for Derry City and Strabane District Council, where you can access the latest information on what's happening locally including the latest on. Launching the Live Free for a Year campaign are brothers and Joint Directors of Setanta Construction Niall and Mark Gribbin. Referring back to the amalgamation of Derry City Council and Strabane District Council in 2015, Cllr Paul Gallagher (Independent) said Strabane had effectively taken on Derrys debt. "Sinn Fin claimed that rates are up because Council workers got a pay rise. Derry News understands the controversial one-way traffic system around the Diamond area of the city is to be scrapped. For further details see 2019 Derry and Strabane District Council election. The continuation of a freeze on business rates in England, Scotland and Wales is a welcome recognition of the fact that trading conditions are still difficult. Alliance councillor Rachel Ferguson said setting the rate had been an "extremely difficult process". It was imposed on us. Following months of detailed engagement, savings and service cutbacks of over3.5mhave been agreed which includestaff efficiency savings/ voluntary severance; overhead efficiency savings; income generation including increase in off street car parking, building control and commercial refuse charges and sports development grant income; reductions in street cleansing and grounds maintenance services; alternate shared opening of rural recycling centres; reductions in external service level agreements and a small reduction to festivals programme budgets; reductions to other non-core programme budgets including business support, tourism, regeneration, museum programming, Christmas lighting, investment, marketing, arts and culture, health promotion and museum programming. A Derry city centre trader has told Derry Now that if Derry City and Strabane District Council was a business "it would be bankrupt". The council had also agreed to make cutbacks of over 3.5m due to financial pressures, including voluntary severance, an increase in off street car parking charges and reductions in street cleansing and grounds maintenance services. rural revitalisation schemes in Newtownstewart, Castlederg, Sion Mills. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie. Derry City and Strabane City council will establish 'warm banks' where people who can't afford to heat their homes can spend time. Mr Moore said Council services were being impacted. People in Strabane are getting all of their services cut and they will be paying a Rates rise of twice as much as they paid last year. Coordinates: 54.927N 7.424W. This is rich coming from a party that backs Tory austerity relentlessly and that's selfishly blocking Stormont from functioning. It is a betrayal. Bulky Waste collections have been suspended until further notice. "Businesses with rent of 20k will see a rise of over 500 despite the obvious pressure many are under. To continue reading this article for FREE,please kindly register and/or log in. Represented council at regional food events to showcase suppliers, and food offerings from the area. Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles. It also offers an opportunity for local traders to get involved and showcase their products at one of the biggest events of the year in the district.. We won't add to this burden. "We took on the airport, which is costing us approximately four million pounds per year. The name was changed from Derry and Strabane City Council on 24 February 2016. Map. "The North West Angling Fair is a great opportunity for the public to see internationally renowned fly dressers practicing their art and champion fly casters demonstrating their skills on the Mourne," she said. A host of world class fly dressers, casters and angling celebrities will join thousands of people on the banks of the Mourne on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2, when the North West Angling Fair returns to Strabanes Melvin Sports Complex. SDLP Councillor Angela Dobbins has represented the Ballyarnett ward for . Your 5 The Moor councillors represent you on Derry City and Strabane District Council. Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions: 2014 Northern Ireland local government reform, http://www.derrycityandstrabanedistrict.com/. The rates increase struck by Council today will see an average rates bill increasing by 40.74 per annum or 78p per week. Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm. Flagship Media Group Ltd, Unit C3, 6 Westbank Drive, Belfast, BT3 9LA, Northern Ireland. Worked with a Strategic Tourism Partnership to deliver objectives. It was created as part of the 2014 Northern Ireland local government reform, replacing Derry City Council and Strabane District Council. Can you list the top facts and stats about Derry City and Strabane District Council? Strabane Office. 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The Councils Festival and Events team are looking forward to delivering another family-focused event that builds on the success of recent years where it attracted record numbers, she said. We have been promised a new leisure centre again and again and again. We have made every effort to use council reserves and find money to resist this increase, but to ensure community services continue to function and front line staff are paid a fair wage there is little other option. The average rates bill will increase by 40.74 per annum or 78p per week. This situation has been compounded by Stormont and the British governments failure to increase the Rates Support Grant and acknowledge the difficult situation that councils are facing. We are constantly paying that back. We are going to see a cut in services including street cleaning and street planting and you can guarantee that areas on the periphery of the city are going to get this a whole lot harder than anywhere else, said Cllr Gallagher. Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles. As part of this Council is anticipating sign-off and commencement of the DNA project by early 2024 and is progressing business case development on a range of innovation, digital and health projects, the School of Medicine at Magee, and major regeneration projects in Strabane Town Centre and along the City Riverfront and Walled City. We have been promised a new leisure centre again and again and again. Iconic Media is Ireland's largest independently owned regional newspaper and media group, with an unrivalled audience in print, online and mobile. Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council urges everyone across the North West to 'Make March your Month to Quit'. To continue reading this article for FREE,please kindly register and/or log in. Video, 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat. Cllr Gallagher said Strabane District had inherited nothing but debt. Love LegenDerry will take place throughout the month of February and feature a programme of events and initiatives to allow locals and visitors to sample the best of our . Cllr Jackson said: This has been compounded by the DUPs ongoing refusal to form an Executive which has left local councils unable to avail of the kind of rates support packages which we have benefited from in the past such as the 33 million in additional funding which Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey secured last year. The name was changed from . Councillors are expected to take the decision at today's (Wednesday's) meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council's Environment and Regeneration committee. St Columb's School of Music bring The Swingles to Derry. I will not be supporting that today, said Cllr Gallagher. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie. The council added that, despite challenges, it has made budgetary provision of 90m in community projects including the development of the Brandywell Sports Centre and Daisyfield pitches supported by funding from the UK Government Levelling Up Fund. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . A City Conversation 2013-2023 takes place on Wednesday 22nd March in St Columbs Hall. We were told time and time again it was happening, yet it has been shelved again, said Cllr Gallagher. Councillor Duffy accepted the mayoral chain from her predecessor, the. 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