East Belfast UUP

28/07/2026

27/07/2026

Charities (Amendment) Bill - Call for Evidence

The Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Communities is seeking views on the Charities (Amendment) Bill.

The Bill aims to strengthen the powers of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, improve information sharing between regulators, modernise charity accounting and reporting requirements, and reduce administrative burdens on smaller charities.

It also removes certain regulatory requirements for organisations established outside Northern Ireland that operate for charitable purposes here.

The Bill implements a number of recommendations arising from the Independent Review of Charity Regulation reflects feedback received during the Department for Communities’ recent consultation.

The Committee wants to hear from stakeholders and members of the public as part of its scrutiny of the Bill.

Why your views matter

As part of the Assembly’s legislative processes, the Charities (Amendment) Bill has been referred to the Assembly’s Committee for Communities so that the Committee may consider and take evidence on the Bill and report its opinion to the Assembly.

The Committee is seeking views from stakeholders on the objectives, proposals and potential consequences of the Bill.

Your views will help to inform the Committee’s consideration of the Bill and any recommendations it may suggest as it moves to the next stage of the legislative process.

The consultation is open until 10 September 2026.

You can find out more and submit your views here: https://consult.nia-yourassembly.org.uk/communities/charities-amendment-bill/?fbclid=IwdGRjcATUDb9wZG9mBWZkaWQWULUBmNm9MLfYfj9fNSzQXRZp19nRsWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR6WuuZ5iWYGdamXK7FVZejhuL5q-W0QCt57ni0AB_RIlRKCaheXMO2w1Gkeag_aem_Hlceg0XN3QFmLgO_eLpbZw

27/07/2026

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

The latest LucidTalk poll, published in this morning’s Belfast Telegraph, places the Ulster Unionist Party as the leading party within Unionism for the first time since 2021.

While every poll is only a snapshot in time, it reflects the positive response we have been receiving from people right across Northern Ireland who want politics done differently.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us. We will continue to offer a positive vision for Northern Ireland - focused on fixing public services, growing our economy, strengthening accountability and unlocking our country’s enormous potential.

It is time for a new kind of politics - one built on competence, integrity and delivery.

If you believe Northern Ireland can do better, and you want to help build a stronger, more prosperous future for everyone, join the Ulster Unionist Party today.

Join us. Be part of the change.

www.uup.org/join

26/07/2026

Know who and what you vote for.

Alliance regularly votes alongside Sinn Féin in Stormont and in council chambers across Northern Ireland.

That is, of course, their democratic right.

But it is equally the public’s right to know that record and to make an informed choice when they vote in the Assembly and local government elections in May 2027.

I have a fundamentally different vision for Northern Ireland than Sinn Fein. I believe all terrorism was wrong and that our future must be built on democracy, the rule of law and respect for every citizen. I was disappointed in the last 12 months when Alliance used Sinn Féin’s language on terrorism of the past.

However, my concern goes beyond the constitutional question. On many day-to-day policy issues, Sinn Féin advocates an extreme left-wing economic approach that I believe would damage Northern Ireland’s economy and discourage investment and job creation. Their extreme ideological position on issues like defence and support for rogue states is alarming. That is what concerns me about Alliance following Sinn Fein so regularly now.

In my view, that represents a significant change from the Alliance Party of the past.

Under my leadership, the Ulster Unionist Party will continue to offer something different: a voice for everyone, common-sense policies, constructive politics and robust scrutiny of those in power.

I believe Northern Ireland can have a government that works, public services that deliver, and an economy that creates unprecedented prosperity and opportunity for all.

If you’ve voted Alliance in the past but feel it no longer represents your views, you’ll find a warm welcome in the Ulster Unionist Party.

Let’s change politics for the better.

24/07/2026

Gerry Kelly’s legacy and the choice Sinn Fein have to make. Reconciliation does not require amnesia.

In politics, we should work with everyone who has been democratically elected where we can to make Northern Ireland more peaceful and prosperous.

But that does not mean rewriting anyone’s legacy. Kelly has announced he won’t stand again to be an MLA.

Gerry Kelly was a member of a murderous terrorist organisation. After the ceasefires, he had an opportunity to demonstrate an unequivocal commitment to policing and the rule of law. In my view, his subsequent record too often had a corrosive impact on public life.

As Sinn Féin’s long-standing policing and justice spokesman, he criticised the PSNI over Catholic recruitment while taking years to attend key police recruitment and passing-out events.

He obstructed a police Land Rover during a policing operation.

He contacted a senior police officer regarding someone under arrest in a police car in order to get them released !

This was one of the acts of Sinn Fein political interference in policing after a man was arrrested on the Ormeau Road during the Covid pandemic that led to an innocent officer being suspended and a crisis in policing. This is a man who is on the Policing Board.

Kelly regularly criticised police actions before the full facts were known, yet apologies when those facts emerged were much harder to find.

He also undermined the rule of law, public health messaging and public trust in politics by taking part in the Bobby Storey funeral at a time when thousands of law-abiding families were making painful sacrifices to comply with COVID regulations.

While still serving on the Policing Board, he continued to venerate IRA terrorists. Each time he sought to undermine policing or excuse terrorism, he weakened confidence in the very institutions he was entrusted to help oversee.

He also pursued a journalist through legal action in what a judge described as bearing the hallmarks of a SLAPP. Malachi O’Doherty could have lost everything. Thankfully justice prevailed.

Many have wished Gerry Kelly a long and healthy retirement - something tragically denied to many victims of the Troubles.

We must continue to work together to build a better Northern Ireland. But reconciliation requires truth as well as cooperation.

Gerry Kelly could have used his decades in public life to say clearly that the IRA’s campaign was wrong, unjustifiable and caused immense suffering.

He chose not to.

That, in my view, will be his legacy.

As Sinn Féin looks to the future, I hope it continues its democratic journey by selecting candidates who are unequivocal democrats; who support the rule of law, policing and our devolved institutions; who strengthen rather than undermine public confidence in politics; and who reject any ambiguity about the legitimacy of violence.

23/07/2026

❤️ Apply for a free defibrillator for your community

Applications are open for eligible organisations to apply for a free, British Heart Foundation-funded defibrillator package.

Applications are expected to close on 28 February 2027, although this may change depending on the number of applications received.

Applications must be made on behalf of a non-profit or community-focused group. Examples include:

• Faith organisations
• Sports groups and social clubs
• Charities and community centres
• Local social enterprises
• Community interest companies
• Residents’ associations and informal groups

Only one application can be accepted from each local branch of a community group.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Place the defibrillator at least 200 metres from the nearest public access defibrillator
• Make it publicly accessible 24 hours a day in the non-lockable, uncoded cabinet provided
• Install it on an external wall that is not restricted by locked gates or opening hours
• Provide a constant electricity supply to the cabinet
• Install it within four weeks of receiving it
• Have permission from the property owner
• Register it on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network
• Commit to learning CPR through the BHF’s free RevivR tool
• Commit to leading Team RevivR sessions in the community

The package includes a defibrillator with pads and accessories, a non-lockable cabinet, replacement pads and batteries, and resources for RevivR CPR training.

The scheme cannot fund defibrillators for individuals, emergency services, GP surgeries, dental practices, schools or colleges, including nurseries and pre-schools, military organisations, police, or organisations seeking a mobile defibrillator.

If you are not sure if your organisation is eligible, or you have a question about the application process, contact BHF at [email protected].

A limited number of defibrillators are available, and applying does not guarantee an award. Applications are reviewed monthly, with priority given to communities with fewer registered defibrillators and where local data indicates a need for greater coverage.

Find out more, check the full criteria and apply:

https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/apply-for-a-free-defibrillator-for-your-community

Please tag or share this with any eligible community organisation that may benefit.