Robbing Peter to pay Paul! Do you have any money-making ideas?
Good morning! Welcome to the Armagh I newsletter, where we have surpassed 8,000 subscribers! Scott isn’t happy as it happened when he took a break from writing it! Sign up below if you aren’t already reading this in your email inbox – the more the merrier.
We get our fair share of eyebrow raising emails but one issued by the Department of Finance (DoF) on Thursday was particularly peculiar. As we know, NI government departments have budgets akin to that of the beggar, Lazarus. And while any chance of an Executive resurrecting from the dead are slim to none, it has been left to you and I to come up with ideas on how to raise some money….yes, the DoF issued an email urging everyone to get involved in “revenue raising consultations”.
“I would encourage citizens and businesses to give us their views to help inform the government’s policy development,” – DoF’s permanent secretary Neil Gibson.
So, there is no Executive in place and the civil servants aren’t sure what to do. Now is your chance to spell it out to them….but in the form of the all too dubious public consultation!
Traders in Newry, Portadown and Downpatrick are on their knees following the recent flooding. Even Noah would have been hard-pushed to have reacted in time! Independent businesses are closing at a rate not seen for a long time. A five month rates relief is a start, as is the £7,500 pledged to affected businesses but does it go far enough? Maybe it’s time to speculate a little; give the businesses more of a fighting chance, even if it means putting away the empty tin pot for a moment.
While £15m is being handed out to businesses – and we’re all for that – it seems like they are robbing Peter to pay Paul. Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris, handed out the dosh but at the same time is leading the calls for the NI departments to figure the rest out for themselves. Now it’s those departments asking us to figure it out for them.
And only last week, you had the the Department for Infrastructure tell local councillors that there isn’t enough staff to carry out what the law requires.
Where do we go from here?
Will the last person leaving Northern Ireland turn out the lights….if there’s money to have them on at that stage!
Tell us what you would do to save money in the comments below. Feel free to be flippant; it might actually be one of the brighter ideas.
Headlines
🙏 Funeral details for Ciara McElvanna who had ‘a smile to light up any room’
🚔 Police appeal after burglars force entry to two houses in Newry
⚖️ Wexford man fined at Armagh court for illegally transporting waste 10 years ago
📿 Patrick Grimley funeral: Mourners hear beautiful tributes from heartbroken family
⚖️ Man sentenced in Newry court following extradition from Republic of Ireland
🤬 Condemnation after elderly woman selling poppies confronted in Tesco
⚽ Statue unveiled of legendary NI goalkeeper Pat Jennings in hometown of Newry
⚖️ GAA player narrowly avoids prison for ‘cowardly and disgusting’ on-field attack
❌ ‘Significant disruption’ for schools as union confirms two-day strike next week
🚨 Each day ‘death trap’ A1 upgrade delayed sees ‘potential for someone else to lose their life’
🕳️ Richhill breathes collective sigh of relief as pothole nicknamed ‘the beast’ is finally fixed
😮💨 Co Armagh mum tells of how charity helped transform life of her disabled 8-year-old son
👮♂️Sinn Féin activist in south Armagh threatened by criminal gang
🍺 Portadown-based firm launch new mini Irish pub into US market
Armagh Jobs
🆕 Armagh Rural Transport are recruiting a Manager.
🆕 Armagh City Hotel require a Receptionist and Chef De Partie.
🆕 KonFloor Armagh are recruiting for a Cleaner.
🆕 Southern Area Hospice require Medical Officers.
✅ Armagh I / Armagh Jobs require a Sales and Marketing Executive.
✅ Simon Community require an Accommodation and Community Support Worker.
✅ Mount Charles have several vacancies available.
✅ ASEE are recruiting for a number of roles which can be found here.
🛎️ If you have a job and want to advertise it to 40,000 daily users on www.armaghjobs.com and www.armaghi.com, as well as more than 8,000 people on this newsletter and our 100,000 social media followers, get in touch.
Armagh City Hotel need a receptionist!
Check out our recruitment video with the hotel below 👇
Notice Board
⛪ No Greater Love | Wednesday November 8 - Sunday November 12 | Armagh Elim Church | Armagh Elim will have a service each night for children, ladies, men, youth and the Sunday will be a day for the whole family. As a church, they simply want to share a message of hope to people that they are loved by God.
❓Trivia Night | County Armagh Golf Club | Friday November 10 | 8pm | In aid of Armagh Child Contact Centre | Topics will include current affairs, entertainment, sport, food and drink, geography and a few surprises. There will be prizes for the best teams on the night as well as a fundraising raffle.
🫖 Celebrate ‘The Golden Teapot’ | The Charlemont Arms Hotel Armagh | Friday November 17 | 2.30pm - 4.30pm | In aid of Macmillan Cancer Support | Come join us for afternoon tea and help support a fantastic cause. World-famous Coffee Artist Wayne Wright has painted The Golden Teapot and Macmillan Coffee Logo especially for this event.
👕Pre-Loved Market | Hosted by Second Hand Sal | Market House, Main Street, Middletown | Thursday December 7 | 6pm | Clothing, shoes and accessories. Raffles prizes on the night with all proceeds going to Alzheimer's NI
Want to include a free event listing to almost 8,000 of our newsletter readers? Get in touch by simply replying to this email or, if you haven’t received this via your inbox, email us at info@armaghi.com.
Photo of the Day (or night!)
Thank you to Claire Nugent for sending us this stunning photograph of the view beyond St. Patrick’s Cathedral RC taken at dusk on Wednesday evening.