Gordon Lyons

Becca Bor

Anti-Poverty Strategy met with lukewarm response from some Derry campaigners

Gordon Lyons.

Angry exchanges as Lyons says Derry gets more arts funding than population share

Pictured left to right are; First Minister Michelle O’Neill, Drum Major Jamie-Lee Wilson - Bready Ulster Scots Pipe Band and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.

10,000 expected to attend All Ireland Pipe Band Championships in Derry in July

PURPLE FLAG AWARD. . . .Group pictured at the City's Walls in Derry on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the awarding of an impressive 13th consecutive recognition from the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM). This remarkable achievement reflects the city’s unwavering commitment to providing a diverse range of captivating experiences for residents and visitors alike. From bustling restaurants and thriving bars to captivating cultural events. Derry continues to shine as a beacon of excellence in night-time economy offerings. Included from left are Chief Inspector Luke Moyne PSNI, Darren McPartland Foyle Haven, Ian Crowe HM Lord Lieutenant, Barry Tucker Visit Derry, Tony McDaid Translink, Ceara Quigley City Centre Initiative, Niall Doran Community Safety Warden PCSP, Jim Roddy City Centre Manager, Brian Williamson North West Development Office (DfC), Kieran Thompson Community Safety Warden PCSP, Eileen Best First Housing, John Bannon City Centre NPT, and William Ferguson DCSDC Streetscape. (Photo: Jim McCafferty Photography) : Purple Flag.

Derry retains Purple Flag for 14th year

Protester with a placard at a previous Derry Against Fuel Poverty march and rally. Photo: George Sweeney. DER2239GS – 114

Winter Fuel payments restored for pensioners

Minister Lyons pictured on The Derry Walls.

£10m North West Regeneration Fund pilot

Culmore Fort.

Historic Culmore Fort restored

Emma Walker-Farren addressing the rally at the Department for Communities’ offices in Derry. (Credit: Neil Harrison)

Rally held to save the arts in Derry after Echo Echo loses 100% of funding

Mark Graham (Chief Executive) and Glynis Hobson (Director of Customer Services)

267 affordable home seekers in Derry being helped by Co-Ownership

Artist Tim Webster spoke with the Journal and said he would like it if the building were akin to Affleck's Palace in Manchester, "which is a big building that has lots of different stalls and stands, cafes and street food, and a whole variety of things". On his fond memories of Austins, Tim said: “Oh yes! The wonky stairs going up the middle of it! It was always a pleasant place to visit.” Photo: George Sweeney

Derry folk tell us what they would like to see in the historic Austins building

Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

Brandywell long-term lease approved

The new Factory Girls Sculpture which has been officially unveiled in Derry’s Harbour Square close to the city’s Guildhall. The sculpture, created by artist Chris Wilson, consists of three anthropomorphic bell shaped forms with nighttime illumination. The design is based on the shapes of spools of thread as used in the shirt factory and celebrates those who worked in the industry. The Mayor, Councillor Lilian Seenoi-Barr, joined Mary White, Chairperson of the Factory Girls and artist Chris Wilson at the unveiling which was attended by some of the women who worked in the local industry and members of the design team. Picture Martin McKeown. 13.03.25

Factory Girls unwrap new public sculpture artwork

An artist's impression of plans for the Acorn Farm site.

St Columb’s Park Allotment Car Park to temporarily close for resurfacing works

Marking the announcement of £1.2m for the redevelopment are Minister Gordon Lyons, Rev Robert Miller and Helen Quigley from the Inner City Trust. Lorcan Doherty Photography

£1.2m grant for Austins purchase

Clockwise from top left: Shaun Harkin, Rory Farrell, Derek Hussey and Aisling Hutton.

£100 winter fuel payments yet to reach pensioners

A number of 'legacy' benefits are transferring to Universal Credit.

Income Support moved to Universal Credit
People in receipt of Income Support are now being moved to Universal Credit (UC) with more benefits including Jobseekers and Housing benefit to transfer in the coming months.
Brendan McDaid

Approximately £45,000 a day has been spent on emergency temporary accommodation across the North this year whilst expenditure has grown from zero in 2015/16 to an all-time high of £16,634,403 in 2024/25.

£45k-a-day on emergency digs as expenditure grows from zero to £16.6m

Sports minister Gordon Lyons has been asked to include Derry City FC’s £2m investment in a new North Terrace at the Brandywell as part of match-funding expected to be provided by successful applicants to the £36.2 million sub-regional stadia funding programme

Lyons urged to consider Derry City FC’s £2m North Terrace investment

The restored Fort will be primarily used to provide much needed mental and emotional support for children and young people living in Culmore.

£265k restoration of Culmore Fort well underway and due for completion in March

Phase Two of the Mark Farren Stand at the Ryan McBride Stadium could be completed should Derry City get a share of the funding. Photograph: George Sweeney

Derry City with 'grounds for optimism' over £36.2 million fund says Club CEO

Sports minister Gordon Lyons has opened applications to the long-awaited £36.2 million sub-regional stadia funding programme with Derry City FC and the Ryan McBride Brandywell entitled to apply.

Lyons invites bids for £36.2m stadia fund with Derry City & Brandywell eligible

Minister Gordon Lyons. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Intimidation points to be scrapped for social housing

Ciara Ferguson

Derry artists struggling to make a living and we are exporting talent, says MLA

Minister Gordon Lyons marked the announcement of the Housing Supply Strategy at Stormont with co-signatories Seamus Leheny (Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Association), Nicola McCrudden (Homeless Connect), Justin Cartwright (Chartered Institute of Housing Northern Ireland), Grainia Long (The Northern Ireland Housing Executive), and Mark Spence (Construction Employers Federation).

Derry housing expert Kate McCauley calls for increased funding in 2025/26

Strabane town centre.

Strabane town revamp

Gordon Lyons has described as ‘utter nonsense’ criticism that the expenditure of £6.5 million on temporary accommodation in Derry & Strabane last year was applying a ‘mere sticking plaster’ to the emergency housing crisis.

Lyons brands ‘utter nonsense’ claim £6.5m on temporary housing is ‘plaster’

Derry pensioners no longer eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) are to receive a one-off fuel support payment of £100 between now and March.

Derry pensioners hit by Winter Fuel Payment cuts to get one-off £100
Derry pensioners no longer eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) are to receive a one-off fuel support payment of £100 between now and March.
Kevin Mullan

Communities minister Gordon Lyons with Make the Call outreach workers Angela Whyte (left) and Julie Taylor at a Make the Call outreach event in Carrickfergus Library

Make the Call helped over 900 access £4.6 million

A huge increase in housing stress has been experienced in Derry and Strabane over the past decade with a 77 per cent increase in people affected since 2014.

77% increase in people in housing stress in Derry/Strabane over past ten years

Derry & Strabane remains the North’s temporary accommodation hotspot with spending on exceeding emergency housing in the district exceeding £6.5 million over the last financial year.

Derry/Strabane is crisis housing hotspot with £6.5m spent in 2023/24

Gordon Lyons

Councillors condemn Gordon Lyons meeting with the Loyalist Communities Council

The salaries associated with 270 new jobs at the Lisahally Service Centre will provide people with more money to spend in the local economy, local MLAs have said.

Salaries from 270 new jobs will give people more money to spend, say MLAs

Gary Middleton

Gary Middleton welcomes Gordon Lyons’ announcement of 270 new jobs in Derry

The Housing Executive offices at Richmond Chambers.

NIHE focused on reducing emergency accommodation placements in Derry

Housing Executive Chief Executive Grainia Long

3,655 cases of mould reported to Housing Executive in Derry in four years

Politicians, charities, unions and others across the north are calling for a rethink.

Winter Fuel Payment cutbacks will plunge ‘thousands deeper into poverty’

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has confirmed the Winter Fuel Payment will be means-tested for the first time since it was introduced to help pensioners with their home-heating bills in 1997.

Lyons follows Rachel Reeves and introduces means-testing for Winter Fuel Payment

Concerns: Councillors Sandra Duffy and Shaun Harkin.

Rates support grant 'cut to shreds'

Defective blocks at a house in Donegal

Council asks Department for Communities to consider defective blocks redress

A home affected by mica blocks in Donegal.

Durkan fears 7 cases of defective blocks only ‘tip of potentially large iceberg’

A home affected by defective blocks in Donegal.

MLA: People who believe defective blocks confined to Donegal ‘in for shock’

SDLP Councillor Catherine McDaid.

2 child UC limit ‘uniquely cruel’ and 'perverse'

SDLP Councillor Rory Farrell. DER1319GS-031

Rates Support Grant 'cut to ribbons'

Minister Gordon Lyons and Foyle MLA Ciara Ferguson with NIFHA representatives at the launch.

Strategic action ‘needed now’ to halt housing crisis

Derry City CEO Sean Barrett was optimistic about the future of Brandywell after Stormont signed off on the sub regional stadia funding.

Derry City's impressive masterplan afoot says Barrett

The Mark Farren mural in the tunnel of the stand named in the late striker's memory.

Derry City's 'masterplan' coming to fruition

The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium

£36.2m sub-regional stadia fund signed-off, Derry City & Brandywell to benefit

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons is pictured looking at the plans for the Factory Girls Sculpture in Derry with (L-R) Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Patricia Logue, Factory Girls representative Mary White and artist Chris Wilson.

Derry's new Factory Girls sculpture works to begin

Nearly 2,000 Universal Credit (UC) households in the private rented sector in Foyle had rents that exceeded the Local Housing Allowance last November, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has revealed.

1,980 Universal Credit households in private rented over Local Housing Allowance

There were 167 temporary emergency temporary placements in Derry/Strabane, out of a total of 395 across the North as a whole in the year to December 31, 2023.

42% of Housing Executive non-standard placements in Derry/Strabane

Flags and banners on a large bonfire to mark the Catholic Feast of the Assumption in the Galliagh area in 2021. Picture date: Sunday August 15, 2021.

Over £13k spent cleaning-up after Galliagh August 15 bonfire in five years

SDLP Councillor Catherine McDaid.

Bring in paid carers’ leave 'without delay'

Poverty costs lives and does not affect everyone equally with 24 per cent of Derry people living in relative poverty, according to Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin.

Poverty costs lives with 24% relatively poor in Derry, says McLaughlin

A home affected by mica blocks in Donegal.

Mica blocks a Reserved Matter says Lyons in response to Derry register query

Purple Flag Co-Ordinator, Ceara Ferguson alongside PCSP Chair Sandra Duffy, Niall Doran Community Safety Warden and Jim Roddy City Centre Manager

Derry receives 'lifesaving support' from City Centre Initiative

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