Communities Minister, Paul Givan MLA, has today welcomed news that
businesses in Enniskillen have voted to establish a Business Improvement
District (BID) in the town.
In an announcement made on Friday evening, businesses in Enniskillen have
given the green light to the proposals and voted ‘YES’ to a BID that will
give them a greater say in how their town is managed.
Welcoming the move, Minister Givan said: “Congratulations to all the businesses and stakeholders
who have worked together with the local council to achieve this result which is
very positive news. By voting in favour of a BID, businesses will now
help to deliver over £1.2m of additional investment, over the next five years,
on projects led and managed by the business community within the Enniskillen
BID area. I congratulate everyone involved for their hard work in
achieving this.”
Enniskillen BID is the last of six BID Pilots that have been receiving
extensive capacity-building support and training through the NI BID Academy to
vote yes to establishing a BID in their area. The Academy, established
and funded by the Department for Communities provided a structured training and
support system for the BID Pilots to help them develop their proposals.
Minister Givan added:
“Through working with the Northern Ireland BIDs Academy, established and funded
by my Department, Enniskillen BID and the other BID Pilots locations have
received invaluable support from experienced practitioners who have overseen the
establishment of successful BIDs in many other towns and cities in the
UK. I wish them all every success as they work to develop their areas.”
Notes to editors:
- Through participation in the Department for Communities
Northern Ireland BIDs Academy, the Enniskillen BID has been working with
local businesses and other organisations to develop ideas for moving
forward. These ideas were presented in a BID proposal which was given the
green light by BID participants in a ballot which closed on Thursday, 13th
October.
- The pilot areas were: Ballymena, Belfast Cathedral
Quarter, Belfast City Centre, Enniskillen, Newry, and Strabane.
- A BID is developed, managed and paid for by the non
domestic sector by means of a compulsory BID levy which the businesses
within the proposed BID area or sector must vote in favour of before the
BID can be established.
- A BID is not a substitute for central or local
government services but is a way additional funding can be raised. The
businesses then decide how the additional funds are spent to strengthen
their trading and market sector.
- Follow us on twitter @CommunitiesNI
- For media enquires please contact the DfC Press Office
on 028 9082 3909 or email press.office@communities-ni.gov.uk.
For out of hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number
07623 974383 and your call will be returned.
Economy Minister Simon Hamilton MLA has told the Northern Ireland Chamber of
Commerce that a relentless focus on sectors of our economy that are already
world class and those that could become world class is essential if Northern
Ireland is to transform into a globally competitive economy.
Simon Hamilton drew a parallel with Team GB in the recent Rio Olympics and
Paralympics where athletes and sports most likely to yield medal success were
supported in terms of finance, training and technology.
Speaking at the Chamber event in Belfast the Minister said, "We are only at the beginning of
the journey to become globally competitive. It is a journey which won't
be complete in a year. It won't even be finished in five. This is a
decade long effort at least.
“My Department is
currently working hard at refreshing and renewing our Economic Strategy.
In essence it will be the road map that will, I hope, lead us to a time when
Northern Ireland is once again punching above its weight on the international
economic stage. It is my intention that the new Economic Strategy will be bold
and ambitious and outline a vision of how our economy will look in 2030 and
beyond. Having come through the downturn and made significant strides forward
in re-balancing our economy, we now have the opportunity to push ahead and put
in place a plan that will transform our economy for the better.
“It is a transformed
economy that we must set our sights upon. An economy where more of our
companies have an international outlook and exporting goods, products and
services outside of our region. An economy where an increasing number of
businesses realise their high growth potential and scale up from small to
medium sized companies, employing more people in the process. An economy
where entrepreneurship and enterprise is endemic and reflected in a growing
status as a start-up nation. An economy where innovation is embedded in
the DNA of every company. An economy where government is business's
biggest supporter, putting in place financial, infrastructural and policy
support to ensure our economy thrives. An economy where we build
industries on the back of where we are genuinely world class in academic
research. An economy where our people possess the skills they need to
improve their lives. And – above all – an economy that works for
everyone.”
The Minister concluded: "Being
a globally competitive economy won't mean that Northern Ireland will become one
of the biggest economies in the world. But what it does mean is that we
will have a well earned, totally justified, evidence based reputation as one of
the world's most dynamic, innovative and high performing small advanced
economies.
“I am immensely proud
of the world beating performance of so many of our local businesses. The
fact that one in three London red buses are made by Wrightbus in
Ballymena. That one in ten of the cholesterol tests used in the world are
made by Randox and that Moy Park produces 25% of Western Europe's
chicken. It is this sort of success I want us to build on in our new
Economic Strategy.
“Only by
concentrating our efforts on those sectors and sub sectors of the economy where
we can truly shine on the international stage will we be able to
breakthrough. We need to ask ourselves what are we already world class at
and what could we become world class at? What are the areas of the economy
where we have excellent research capability, large innovative companies, a
superb SME supply chain and the requisite skills base? Then we need to
ruthlessly and relentlessly support those sectors towards even greater success.
“In many ways, what
we need for our economy is to emulate the ethos of Team GB in the Olympics and
Paralympics. Team GB identified the sports and the athletes who were most
likely to produce medal success. They then invested heavily in the
people, their training and the technology they used.
An economy our size
can't succeed in every sector. But we can be world class where we are
already strong and where we are showing promise. Like Team GB, we
shouldn't be afraid to support those sectors that can make our economy globally
competitive.
“This is not an easy
task by any means. There will be doubters. And there will be
challenges along the way. But I am convinced that using all of our
talents and supporting the sectors most likely to succeed, Northern Ireland can
transform over time into a genuinely globally competitive economy.”
Notes to editors:
- For media enquiries contact DFE Press Office on 028
9052 9604. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via
pager number 07623 974383 and your call will be returned.
- Follow us on Twitter @Economy_NI
Economy Minister Simon Hamilton MLA has commented on the restructuring
of the Fujitsu business throughout Europe including its operations in
Belfast and Londonderry.
He said: “This
is a worrying time for staff at Fujitsu in Belfast and Londonderry.
I
have spoken to Fujitsu management today and intend to engage with senior
decision makers in Japan in the days and weeks ahead to emphasise to them the
highly skilled workforce that exists in Northern Ireland as well as the
competitive costs and strong Government support that makes our region a good
place for their company to continue to invest in."
Notes to editors:
- For media enquiries contact DFE Press Office on 028
9052 9604. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via
pager number 07623 974383 and your call will be returned.
- Follow us on Twitter @Economy_NI
First Minister, the Rt Hon Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister, Martin
McGuinness tonight attended the opening of the National Football Stadium at
Windsor Park.
The Ministers were guests at an Irish Football Association (IFA) official
opening and watched home team Northern Ireland take on San Marino in a FIFA
World Cup qualifying match.
The IFA received £28.75 million from the Executive towards the stadium
redevelopment which now has a seating capacity of 18,500.
Speaking ahead of the match First Minister, Arlene Foster said: “It is a privilege to be here this
evening to mark the official opening of our National Stadium at Windsor Park.
“The transformation
has been remarkable and Northern Ireland, along with first class fans, now has
a truly first class venue as its home of football.
“The Northern Ireland
Executive’s contribution of £28.75 million has helped deliver this magnificent
outcome and I congratulate everyone involved in the development of our new
National Stadium.
“There is no doubt
that this Summer’s Euro 2016 finals were transformative for Northern Ireland
football and this wonderful new facility is reflective of our pride and
ambition to take Northern Ireland to the next level.
“I have no doubt this
magnificent new stadium will see many great sporting occasions in the years to
come.”
The deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness said: “In France this summer Michael O’Neill
and his team proved they were a class act both on and off the pitch and I’m
delighted they now have a world class stadium to match.
“The Executive’s
investment of nearly £30million will reap massive social, economic and cultural
benefits. Tonight’s opening completes the second part of a three stadia
Programme for Government commitment and I look forward to Casement Park coming
to fruition during this Assembly term.
“Sport has the
ability to break down barriers on and off the pitch and the IFA deserves great
credit for its tireless efforts to rid sport of sectarianism, racism and
homophobia. Their work goes beyond the gates of Windsor Park and ripples
out into wider society building friendships and the community. The financial
support we have provided towards this stadium is an investment in a more
inclusive, shared society.”
Also attending the official opening Sports
Minister Paul Givan said: “This
new state of the art Stadium marks a new and exciting beginning not only for
the Northern Ireland Football team but for the whole community. This is a very
special and proud day for all those who have worked tirelessly to turn the
vision of a National Stadium into a reality.”
