NEWS

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has welcomed a £60million fall in benefit fraud. Benefit fraud losses in Northern Ireland fell by more than £60 million last year, with Communities Minister Gordon Lyons saying the figures show his “zero-tolerance” approach is delivering results while warning there is “no room for complacency”. New annual figures reveal that benefit fraud fell from £233 million in 2024 to £170.9 million in 2025 – a reduction of more than £62 million. Fraud no

Around 105,000 Budget Energy customers across Northern Ireland are set to pay more for their electricity from next month after the supplier announced a 9.5% increase to its variable tariffs. The increase, which takes effect from 4 August 2026, will add around £122 a year to the bill of a typical BillPay customer and approximately £121 a year for a standard-rate keypad customer, adding further pressure to household finances at a time when electricity prices continue to rise ac

Businesses across Northern Ireland are reporting lower levels of concern about their energy bills and greater confidence in their suppliers, according to new research published by the Utility Regulator. However, despite signs of improvement, around one in five businesses remain worried about the cost of energy, underlining the continued pressure facing many firms as prices remain significantly higher than they were before the pandemic. The findings come from the Utility Regul

Thousands of households across Northern Ireland are set to see their electricity bills rise again next month after SSE Airtricity announced a tariff increase of 6.2%. The increase, which takes effect from 1 August 2026, will add around £76 a year to the bill of a typical credit customer and standard-rate keypad customer. For many households already dealing with higher living costs, the latest rise means annual electricity costs for a typical SSE Airtricity customer will incre

Families flying with Ryanair will see a change to how their seats are allocated from today (Thursday, June 25), after Europe’s largest airline announced a tweak to its long-standing family seating policy. The airline says parents who choose not to pay to reserve seats in advance will now receive their family seating allocation free of charge only after checking in for their flight, bringing its approach into line with what it describes as the industry standard across Europe.

Ryanair is being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority over charges that parents must pay to sit beside their children on flights, including in cases involving disability-related obligations. The budget airline’s terms and conditions require at least one adult travelling with children aged two to 11 to reserve a seat, through what Ryanair calls a “mandatory family seat”. That reservation typically costs around £8 per flight, meaning the charge can apply on bot

8-year-old Jude and 10-year-old Ana from Belfast pictured at Danske Bank’s Donegall Square West branch. Children across Northern Ireland will now be able to open a bank account from the age of eight after Danske Bank lowered the minimum age for its Discovery Current Account in a move reflecting how younger children are increasingly learning to manage money before reaching secondary school. The bank has reduced the entry age for the account from 11 to eight and has also remove

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has announced further measures to support students. The additional support has been welcomed by NUS-USI President (pictured) Ben Friel. Thousands of students across Northern Ireland are set to receive increased financial support next year as the Executive moves to ease mounting cost-of-living pressures facing those in higher education. Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has announced a package of measures for the 2026/27 academic year

Ulster Farmers' Union Beef and Lamb chair Brendan Kelly on his farm in Randalstown, Antrim. Beef farmers across Northern Ireland are facing mounting financial pressure, with some now losing more than £350 on finished cattle as sharp processor price cuts squeeze already fragile family farm businesses, the Ulster Farmers’ Union has warned. The UFU says the speed and scale of recent reductions in beef prices are becoming “impossible” for many farmers to absorb, particularly as c

A scam caller using the PSNI’s own switchboard number in an apparent attempt to steal banking information has prompted a fresh public warning from police after a Northern Ireland resident narrowly avoided being defrauded. Police say the incident has raised serious concerns after fraudsters appeared to spoof the official PSNI number while attempting to pressure a member of the public into handing over sensitive financial details and purchasing gift cards. The attempted scam wa

A woman in her 70s has lost more than £250,000 after being drawn into what she believed was a legitimate cryptocurrency investment scheme, prompting a stark warning from police over the growing threat of online financial fraud. The victim, from Newry, was persuaded over time to hand over increasingly large sums of money to criminals after initially making what appeared to be a small investment. Police say the fraud escalated after the woman unknowingly downloaded malware onto

More than half a million households across Northern Ireland are facing another jump in energy costs from Friday, with both electricity and gas prices rising amid renewed pressure on global wholesale markets linked to conflict in the Middle East. Power NI customers will see electricity tariffs increase by 6.2% from 1 July 2026, while regulated firmus energy gas customers in the Ten Towns network will face a much steeper rise of 15.65%. For many families already juggling food c

Thousands of households across Northern Ireland are facing another rise in energy costs this summer after both Power NI and firmus energy announced significant price increases coming into force from 1 July. The twin increases mean many families already under pressure from rising living costs will now see both electricity and gas bills climb again within weeks, with suppliers blaming global wholesale markets, network charges and ongoing international conflict for the latest hi

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long The Department of Justice has pulled its controversial consultation on firearms licensing fees following mounting opposition from rural and sporting communities across Northern Ireland, in a move being welcomed as a significant climbdown by critics of the proposals. The consultation had proposed changes aimed at achieving full cost recovery for firearms licensing, potentially increasing the financial burden on certificate holders a

UFU Beef and Lamb and Hill Farming chairs on their visit to the British Wool depot in Bradford last week. Sheep farmers across Northern Ireland are being urged to take advantage of the strongest wool market seen in more than a decade after prices for the 2025 wool clip jumped by around 70%. The Ulster Farmers’ Union says wool — once widely regarded as a low-value by-product barely worth collecting — is now covering most shearing costs for many farmers and, in some cases, deli

Arthur Cottage in Cullybackey, Ballymena. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has agreed to scrap admission charges at one of its historic tourist attractions for a 12-month trial period — despite concerns from some councillors over falling income and ongoing financial pressures. Members of the council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee backed the proposal for free entry at President Arthur Homestead in Cullybackey during a meeting at The Braid in Ballymena on Tuesday

Lady Ballyedmond and family remain the wealthiest people in Northern Ireland with an estimated fortune of £898 million, despite suffering a £24 million drop in wealth over the past year, according to the 2026 edition of The Sunday Times Rich List. The annual rankings, published by The Sunday Times Rich List, paint a striking picture of changing fortunes, billionaire migration and growing concern over an exodus of wealth from the UK. This year’s list reveals that one in six pe

Entrance to visitor car park at Antrim Area Hospital Patients and families across Northern Ireland will continue paying hospital parking charges for at least the next three years after new legislation formally passed into law. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt confirmed the Hospital Parking Charges Bill has now received Royal Assent, delaying plans to abolish charges that had originally been due to end under legislation passed in 2022. The move means hospital parking fees will rem

Gordon Cruikshanks, Regional Managing Director at Lidl Northern Ireland. Lidl Northern Ireland has announced a second major pay increase for staff in 2026, investing a further £756,000 into wages for frontline workers and Deputy Store Managers across its Northern Ireland operations. The latest increase, which came into effect on 1 May, will see hourly-paid colleagues earn at least £13.30 per hour — comfortably above the UK National Living Wage of £12.71 — while Deputy Store M

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with Julia Cleeland, Operations Director, Mid & East Antrim Community Advice Service, and Paul Frew MLA at a recent visit to Mid & East Antrim Community Advice Service. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has confirmed a key funding programme designed to help people access debt advice earlier and more easily will continue into 2026-27, following strong early results across all 11 council areas in Northern Ireland. The Integrated Advice