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Andy Allen MLA, 174 Albertbridge Road, Belfast (2026)

28/08/2026

Gas customers must not be overlooked following 18.97% price rise announcement - Allen

East Belfast Ulster Unionist MLA and Chair of the All-Party Group on Fuel Poverty Andy Allen MBE has called for urgent action to support households at greatest risk after SSE Airtricity announced a 18.97% per cent increase in gas prices from 1 October.

The increase will affect more than 200,000 domestic customers across the Greater Belfast and West gas networks, adding around £172 to £174 to a typical annual bill.

Andy Allen said:

“This is a near 19 per cent increase arriving just as many households will begin turning their heating back on. For a typical customer, it means finding another £170 or more each year simply to use the same amount of gas.

“People will understand that instability in global energy markets has driven up wholesale costs, but that explanation does not make the bill any easier to pay. Close to one in four households here are already in fuel poverty and many people are rationing their heating. A rise on this scale has the potential to push more households into hardship.

“The £100 home heating oil payment and the proposed electricity discount of over £50 will provide some help, but neither directly addresses this increase for gas-heated homes. The Executive must now consider how targeted support can reach gas customers most at risk, rather than allowing a gap to open depending on how someone heats their home.

“That support must include low-income working households who often miss out, as well as older people, disabled people and customers using prepayment meters. SSE Airtricity should also contact customers proactively and make the help and payment options available to them clear before the new tariff takes effect.

“The Utility Regulator must keep the tariff under close review and ensure that any fall in wholesale costs is passed back to customers promptly.

“Longer term, this again underlines why delivery of the Warm Healthy Homes Strategy matters. The new Warm Healthy Homes Fund is not due to begin until April 2027, so existing support must be properly funded through this winter and there must be no drift in getting the new scheme up and running. Reducing household energy bills must be a priority for this Executive and remain one for the next.

“Ministers have just over a month before this increase takes effect. They should use that time to set out clearly what support will be available.”

27/08/2026

📱 Department of Education consultation on mobile phone-free schools

The Department of Education has opened a 12-week public consultation on possible legislative changes to support mobile phone-free schools in Northern Ireland. No final decision on legislation has been taken.

Strengthened guidance has also been issued stating that pupils should not routinely have access to personal mobile phones during the school day. While many schools already have their own mobile phone policies, the Department is proposing a more consistent approach across the education system.

The proposals follow an independent evaluation of the Mobile Phone-Free Schools Pilot by King’s College London. The evaluation reported improvements in classroom focus, engagement, behaviour, safeguarding and social interaction, as well as fewer disruptions.

A separate Department of Education survey of schools found:

• 73% believed mobile phones had a negative overall impact during the school day
• More than 90% linked phones to behavioural issues
• 83% cited online conflict spilling into school
• 77% identified safeguarding concerns
• 71% reported a significant impact on pupil wellbeing
• 71% highlighted cyberbullying

Individual schools would retain flexibility over how restrictions are applied. Exceptions would remain available for medical, safeguarding, disability or special educational needs.

Parents, pupils, teachers, school leaders and others with an interest are invited to respond. The consultation is open until 19 November 2026:

🔗 https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/consultations/public-consultation-measures-support-mobile-phone-free-schools-northern-ireland

26/08/2026

Oil Voucher welcome, but energy efficiency must remain a priority – Allen

East Belfast Ulster Unionist MLA and Communities Spokesperson Andy Allen MBE has welcomed the introduction of the £100 home heating oil support scheme, but said the length of time taken to get to this point shows why a framework needs to be retained so future support can be delivered more quickly.

Applications for the £100 voucher will open on 9 September and will not be automatic. Eligible households will have to apply through nidirect. Visit: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/home-heating-oil-support

Andy Allen said:

“This support will be welcomed by the many thousands of oil-dependent households who have been struggling with the cost of heating their homes. While £100 is a modest amount given the scale of the pressures many individuals and families have faced and continue to face, it will still provide some help, and I want to see eligible households able to access it as quickly and as smoothly as possible.

“But let’s be honest about the timescale. The spike in oil prices happened months ago. Families were facing significant pressures at the height of that crisis, and only now, with winter approaching, is the scheme opening for applications. Support that comes long after the immediate pressure has passed inevitably loses some of its value.

“I fully recognise the complexity involved in putting a scheme like this in place. There is no central register of home heating oil users, eligibility had to be worked through, legislation progressed and safeguards put in place. But many of these same challenges were evident in 2022, and here we are again.

“That is why the framework developed through this scheme needs to be retained and built on. We should make sure the work that has gone into designing the scheme is not lost once this support has been delivered. The processes, safeguards and lessons learned should leave us better placed to respond quickly if households face a similar shock in future.

“Northern Ireland’s reliance on home heating oil means we are particularly exposed when oil prices rise sharply, and we need to be better prepared for that.

“This support, alongside the electricity support of over £50 expected from October, is welcome. But households are still facing much wider pressures, from food and housing costs to childcare and other everyday bills.

“A one-off voucher will help, but it does not take those pressures away. That is why it is imperative that the Northern Ireland Executive does all it can to support households and tackle the underlying pressures driving up the cost of living.

“Energy efficiency measures must play a much bigger part in the answer. The Warm Healthy Homes Strategy sets out the direction, but the important thing now is delivery. We need to see more homes properly insulated, heating systems improved and support targeted at those households struggling most with their energy costs. Reducing household energy bills for the long term must be the priority, rather than relying on emergency support every time prices rise.

“The reality is that £100 will go some way towards helping with the immediate pressure, but it will not go very far. Improving the energy efficiency of someone’s home can reduce their bills for years. We need to be able to respond quickly when prices spike, but the longer-term aim must be to reduce the number of households that need emergency support in the first place.

“Finally, a word of caution. Schemes like this often attract scammers. Applications will only be made through the official nidirect website, and people will never be asked for their bank details or to make a payment in order to claim the support. I would urge people to be wary of calls, texts, emails or social media posts suggesting otherwise, and to look out for elderly or vulnerable neighbours who may be targeted.”

25/08/2026

We are hosting a Harvest Community Market on Saturday 24th October 2026 in the Skainos building and are on the hunt for some local sellers who might be interested in showcasing their products. If you would be interested in buying a table for the day, please fill out the expression of interest form or contact [email protected] with details of your business.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/DesignPageV2.aspx?origin=NeoPortalPage&subpage=design&id=P1DWNNWzP0CXNB-QbXr1PWKdBSX-IZtFpymuYx1ed0lUMUg1NklHRTE5U0pTT1NaWEMwQjhVRk1XMi4u

24/08/2026

We are sharing this for our friends at Clonduff, a great team for young people to be a part of

🚨𝗞𝗜𝗗𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟯/𝟏𝟒?🚨

We have some availability for new players in our 2013 section ahead of the new season. A great bunch of kids currently playing their football in the SBYL. Players born 2014 are also welcome to join the squad.

Come along to one of our training sessions!

Contact the page or Liza on 07841357620 for further details 🤳

⚪🔵
🔵⚪
⚪🔵

13/08/2026

🏃‍♂️ FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL SPORTS CLUBS

A useful funding opportunity for sports clubs and community organisations across East Belfast and beyond.

Phase 3 of Sport NI’s Creating Opportunities programme is now open, supporting new and additional projects that make sport and physical activity more inclusive and accessible across Northern Ireland.

The programme is particularly focused on helping remove barriers that prevent people from getting involved in sport, whether as participants, coaches, officials or leaders.

Applications are linked to a crowdfunding campaign, with eligible organisations able to access additional support through Sport NI’s National Lottery-funded programme.

If your club or organisation has an idea that could help more people get involved in sport or physical activity, it is well worth taking a look.

👇 Full details, eligibility and guidance are available from Sport NI:

https://www.sportni.net/funding/creating-opportunities/

12/08/2026

Natalie and Tyler joined me up at Stormont yesterday while I was in for a meeting.

Tyler certainly enjoyed getting a look around Parliament Buildings, including taking his seat in the Chamber! 😊

If any East Belfast group or organisation would like to arrange a tour of Parliament Buildings, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 📧 [email protected]

12/08/2026

🌒☀️ 𝗗𝗢𝗡’𝗧 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦 𝗜𝗧 — 𝗔 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗘𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗣𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬! ☀️🌒

If the skies play ball this evening, we’re in for a very special sight across Northern Ireland as the Moon passes in front of the Sun and more than 90% of the Sun will be obscured at maximum eclipse. 🤩

📅 TODAY - Wednesday 12 August 2026

⏰ 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞 👇🏻

Across Northern Ireland the partial eclipse begins at around 6:09–6:10pm, reaches its maximum at approximately 7:07–7:08pm, and finishes shortly after 8:00pm.

For Belfast, the timings are:

🌘 Eclipse begins: 6:10pm
🌑 Maximum eclipse: 7:08pm
🌒 Eclipse ends: 8:03pm
☀️ Around 93% of the Sun obscured

Carrickfergus, Larne and Newtownabbey will experience very similar timings, so the key time to remember locally is:

👉 GET OUTSIDE FOR AROUND 7PM!

🌍 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗦𝗢 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟? 👇🏻

This isn’t a total eclipse here - Northern Ireland sits outside the path of totality - but it is an exceptionally deep partial eclipse, with only a small portion of the Sun remaining visible at maximum.

The wider event is a total solar eclipse, with the path of totality crossing areas including Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain. Here at home, we get a spectacular partial view.

And just to put its rarity into perspective: the next total solar eclipse visible from the UK isn’t until September 2090. 😮

⚠️👀 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 - 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗘𝗬𝗘𝗦 👇🏻

This is the really important bit.

❌ NEVER look directly at the Sun with the naked eye, even when more than 90% of it is covered.

❌ Ordinary sunglasses - even very dark sunglasses - are NOT safe.

❌ Do not look at the Sun through binoculars, telescopes or camera lenses unless they have a proper solar filter fitted to the FRONT of the equipment.

✅ If viewing the eclipse directly, use genuine solar eclipse glasses / viewers meeting the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard.

✅ Check eclipse glasses for scratches, tears or damage before using them.

✅ No eclipse glasses? Use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector, instead.

👨‍👩‍👧 Please make sure children are properly supervised while watching.

Remember: because this is only a partial eclipse in Northern Ireland, there is NO point at which it becomes safe to look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection.

🌠 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘’𝗦 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘…

Once the Sun goes down, keep an eye on the night sky - the Perseid meteor shower is also around its annual peak. ☄️✨

So, weather permitting, we could be treated to two fantastic astronomical spectacles in the space of a few hours.

📸 If you manage to safely capture a photograph of the eclipse from Carrickfergus, Larne, Newtownabbey, Belfast or elsewhere across East Antrim, I’d love to see it in the comments.

☀️🌒 Maximum eclipse: around 7:08pm - set a reminder now!

Please SHARE this with friends and family so they know when to look - and, most importantly, how to do it safely. 👀🕶️

Hopefully we get a great view of it here 🙏🏻😄

JS ☀️

11/08/2026

Great to be at Belfast City Hall earlier today for the launch of the Retail NI High Street Heroes 2026 campaign.

The awards are a great opportunity to recognise and celebrate the local businesses and individuals who make such an important contribution to our high streets and communities.

The winners are decided by public vote, giving local people the chance to recognise those who go above and beyond.

This year also sees two new categories, Best Post Office and Neighbourhood Police Officer of the Year.

🗳️ Voting is now open until early September.

Have a local High Street Hero in mind? Make sure you cast your vote and show them your support.

https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/high-street-heroes-2026-voting-34102750

Andy Allen MLA

28/08/2026

27/08/2026

26/08/2026

25/08/2026

24/08/2026

13/08/2026

12/08/2026

12/08/2026

11/08/2026

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