Councils need 'more powers' to protect residents during major events
Major events, such as The Open, are putting a spotlight on and "exacerbating" the issue of the housing crisis on the north coast, according to MLA Sian Mulholland.She has called for greater powers for local authorities in "weighing the needs of a tourist economy, while building sustainable local communities".A Sheffield Hallam University report estimates this year's Open event will generate £213m in combined economic and media benefit to Northern Ireland.However, a mother-of-three has told BBC News NI she is facing homelessness after the lease on her rental property wasn't renewed, and believes it is to allow the home to be turned into a holiday rental.
'Homelessness is looming closer'
The woman, who doesn't want to be identified because of her work, said she and her children are due to leave their Portrush home next week."There are a lot of local people being kicked out of their houses for the golf because of pure greed," she told BBC News NI.She has been renting the property for five years, but claims she was told her landlord has considered turning it into holiday accommodation."The golf is only one week long, but there are rumours people are renting out their houses for over £10,000 for the week," the woman said.BBC News NI has seen properties advertised online for up to £81,000 for one week between 14-21 July."The day that we're going to become homeless is looming closer and closer," she said."I have this really horrible feeling that what is about to happen is going to deeply traumatise my children and I feel so powerless and helpless in this situation."
Demand for housing in the area means she says she's been turned down for every home she's applied for in Portrush, Coleraine, and Ballymoney."I can give no more. I'm working every day from morning to very late at night. It feels really painful. I'm getting desperate," she added."I don't want to move around, I want to stay put and settle down in a family home and not move anymore for the sake of my kids and myself."
'A fine balance'
Mulholland said: "The Open and other major events definitely did not cause the housing crisis it's just putting a spotlight and exacerbating the issue particularly around that short term let."There is a fine balance to be had and that's why my party has called on government at both assembly level, and at local level, to give councils more regulatory powers to be able to cap the amount of short term lets. "We've asked for a ban on no fault evictions, we want to see tenants protected and promote a safe and affordable home for all," she said.
Controls have been introduced in some parts of the UK and Europe in an attempt to tackle similar issues and increase housing stock for locals.Rules to prevent new houses in the Yorkshire Dales from being used as holiday homes were recently approved.In Scotland, a Highland-wide control zone to limit Airbnb-style lets has also been proposed.Paddy Gray, professor emeritus of housing at Ulster University, said there will be consequences if the housing issue is ignored in Northern Ireland."If we continue doing this, it will cause a depopulation of local communities."It will mean areas that have properties lying empty for a long period of time with very little activity and communities not being able to form properly if young people have to move out."That's why they [politicians] really have to take stock and do something because this has been going on for a few years now."
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said he is considering all of the options."It's important that we have a proper evidence base first before we make any decisions," he said."That's being gathered up as we speak so that we hopefully will have an opportunity to get that information and then take policy decisions on the back of that."Lyons said he recognises there is a problem that needs to be addressed, but said The Open is a "fantastic opportunity"."There will be a huge number of visitors coming to Northern Ireland and to the north coast in particular, that is a good thing."Tourism NI has estimated that golf tourism is worth almost £70m to the economy annually.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
24 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Glastonbury says chants by Bob Vylan ‘crossed the line' as police assess footage
Glastonbury Festival has said chants by punk duo Bob Vylan have 'crossed a line', as footage from their set is assessed by UK police. The performer Bobby Vylan led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'Death, death to the IDF' on Saturday, before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' at his bandmate's forthcoming court appearance. Advertisement A joint Instagram post from Glastonbury and Emily Eavis said: 'As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism. 'We will always believe in – and actively campaign for – hope, unity, peace and love. 'With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs. 'However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. Advertisement 'Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' UK health secretary Wes Streeting said chants of 'death' to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) at Glastonbury were 'appalling' and that the BBC and festival have 'questions to answer'. As police examine videos of their comments, Mr Streeting told Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: 'I thought it's appalling, to be honest, and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens.' He said what people should be talking about in the context of Israel and Gaza is the humanitarian catastrophe and the fact that Israeli settlers attacked a Christian village this week. Advertisement UK health secretary Wes Streeting said the BBC and the festival have 'questions to answer' (Lucy North/PA) He added: 'The fact that we saw that chant at a music festival, when there were Israelis at a similar music festival who were kidnapped, murdered, raped, and in some cases still held captive, whether it's a Palestinian or an Israeli, whether it's a Christian, a Jew or a Muslim, all life is precious. 'All life is sacred. And I find it pretty revolting we've got to a state in this conflict where you're supposed to sort of cheer on one side or the other like it's a football team.' Asked if the BBC should have cut the live feed, he said the broadcaster has questions to answer, but that he did not know what the editorial and operational 'challenges' are of taking such action. Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence would be assessed by officers 'to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation'. Advertisement Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival (Ben Birchall/PA) On social media, the Israeli Embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the scenes 'grotesque', writing on X: 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked.' The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it would be formally complaining to the BBC over its 'outrageous decision' to broadcast Bob Vylan. A spokesperson said: 'Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions.' Advertisement A BBC spokesperson added: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. 'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance, a British government spokesperson said. Bob Vylan, who formed in Ipswich in 2017, have released four albums with their music addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Kneecap, who hail from Belfast, have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. The group performed after Vylan's set on the West Holts Stage with O hAnnaidh exclaiming 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man' as they took to the stage. In reference to his bandmate's forthcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine'. In the run-up to the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for the group to be removed from the line-up and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said their performance would not be 'appropriate'. During the performance, Caireallain said: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.' He also said a 'big thank you to the Eavis family' and said 'they stood strong' amid calls for the organisers to drop them from the line-up. Elsewhere at the festival, on Sunday Irish noise rockers Gurriers took to the Woodsies stage. During their high-octane rock and roll set, singer Dan Hoff said: 'Free Palestine, unlike other bands we know where we stand politically.' He later asked if anyone had seen Kneecap's Saturday set, before adding: 'Well it's the Irish takeover at Glastonbury this year I think. 'This song is about the Irish far right that we have back at home, and how much we f****** hate them.'
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Glastonbury's Emily Eavis says anti-IDF chants 'crossed a line' as Sir Keir Starmer condemns 'appalling hate speech'
The prime minister has criticised chants of "death to the IDF" during a Glastonbury performance on Saturday, while festival organiser Emily Eavis said they had "very much crossed a line". Responding on Sunday to rap duo Bob Vylan's set the day before, Sir Keir Starmer said: "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech." In the same statement, the prime minister repeated his previous argument that the Belfast rap group Kneecap should have been removed from the line-up after one member was charged with a terrorism offence. "I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence. "The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast." On Sunday, Ms Eavis, whose father Michael co-founded the festival, posted her response to Bob Vylan's performance. "Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence," she wrote. She said that while "as a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism - we will always believe in - and actively campaign for - hope, unity, peace and love", adding a performer's comments "should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs". Eavis added: "With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share." The rappers' set was streamed live on the BBC on Saturday, showing one of them shouting the slogan into the mic, with some of the crowd joining in. They also performed in front of a screen that claimed Israel's actions in Gaza amount to "genocide". Posting on Instagram on Sunday, drummer Bobby Vylan doubled down by repeating elements of the chant alongside a picture of himself. The Israeli embassy posted on X in the hours after the set saying it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric". It said the slogan used "advocates for the dismantling of the State of Israel". The post on X added: "When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence." In a separate post on X on Sunday, Israel's foreign ministry published graphic footage following the attack by Hamas on the Nova festival in Israel on 7 October 2023. The message directly appealed to those at Glastonbury who joined in the chants. "On October 7th, Hamas terrorists murdered hundreds of innocent partygoers at the Nova festival. For those at the Glastonbury festival who need a reality check, let this footage serve as a reminder to what you are supporting." Meanwhile the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it will be formally complaining to the BBC over its "outrageous decision" to broadcast the performance. Avon and Somerset Police said they are looking at whether a criminal offence was committed. "Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the force said in a post on social media. Bob Vylan's set may have pushed things too far Bob Vylan, a punk-rap duo known for their politically charged lyrics taking on racism, fascism, police brutality, toxic masculinity, inequality and more, performed on the festival's third biggest stage, West Holts, with a capacity of about 30,000. They played to their own fans but no doubt thousands who had turned out to secure their place for the controversial Irish-language rappers Kneecap who followed. After the Bob Vylan performance was aired live, clips quickly flooded social media - shared by those supporting the band and condemning them. "The BBC didn't cover Kneecap's set at Glastonbury Festival over Free Palestine chants, so Bob Vylan, who BBC covered, stepped in," posted the Celebrities4Palestine account alongside a clip on Instagram, also shared by Bob Vylan. The IDF comments on stage may well have been made regardless. Or did Kneecap's "cancelling" by the BBC, as some people saw it, encourage other acts to speak out even more? Police are investigating both performances. Kneecap's Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, at one point mentioned "a riot outside the courts" over his bandmate Liam Og O hAnnaidh's (Mo Chara) upcoming second appearance on a terror charge, before clarifying: "No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine." With its history of activism, Glastonbury has always championed free speech. But it seems Bob Vylan's set may have pushed things too far. It's fair to say that here at Glastonbury, for most of the 200,000 people on site this weekend, it is still all about the music. The majority did not see these sets and many are not even aware of the criticism outside Worthy Farm. Today is the final day of artist performances, with acts including Olivia Rodrigo, Rod Stewart and the Prodigy on the bill. But instead of the magic of the most famous festival in the world, both organisers and the broadcaster are now facing more questions about Bob Vylan and, to a lesser extent, Kneecap, as criticism mounts. Bob Vylan went on stage just ahead of a performance by Kneecap, the Irish rap band that the prime minister and others called to be removed from the Glastonbury and other festival line-ups over alleged on-stage endorsements of terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Ultimately, the BBC decided not to broadcast Kneecap's set live, but have since made it available to watch on catch-up on iPlayer. One of its members, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was charged with a terror offence in May after being accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig. His bandmate Naoise O Caireallain told Glastonbury crowds on Saturday they should "start a riot outside the courts", before clarifying: "No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine." O hAnnaidh - also known as Mo Chara - wore a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf for their set and told fans he was a "free man". Questions over why BBC broadcast chants The government's culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to BBC boss Tim Davie for an "urgent explanation" about what steps were taken around the Bob Vylan set. Speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on behalf of the government, Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the chant as "appalling" and a "shameless publicity stunt". "The fact that we saw that chant at a music festival - when there were Israelis at a similar music festival who were kidnapped, murdered, raped, and in some cases still held captive," he said in reference to the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack at the Nova music festival. He added that while "there's no justification for inciting violence against Israelis… the way in which Israel's conducting this war has made it extremely difficult for Israel's allies around the world to stand by and justify". "I'd also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order, in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," he told Phillips. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch reposted a clip of the Bob Vylan set describing it as "grotesque". "Violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked," she said on X. Lucy McMullin, who was in the crowd for Bob Vylan, told Sky News: "When there's children and civilians being murdered and starved, then I think it's important that people are speaking out on these issues. "However, inciting more death and violence is not the way to do it." A BBC spokesperson confirmed the Bob Vylan stream will not be made available to watch on its iPlayer. "Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive," their statement said. "During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand."
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Lotus plant won't close, carmaker's Chinese owners insist
The business secretary says he has been reassured that Lotus's plant in Norfolk will not be shut down after crunch weekend talks with its Chinese owner. Jonathan Reynolds met the British sports carmaker and Geely, its Chinese majority-owner, on Sunday amid uncertainty over the 59-year-old factory in Hethel. In a statement after the meeting, a spokesman for the Department for Business and Trade said Reynolds had been 'reassured by management that they are committed to their UK operations and have no plans to close their Hethel plant'. During the meeting, Reynolds set out the government's commitment to working with Lotus and the UK's car sector to improve its competitiveness. This would include cutting manufacturers' energy costs and providing £2.5 billion of capital and research and development funding, measures announced last week as part of Labour's industrial strategy. Uncertainty over the future of the plant, which employs about 1,300 people, was triggered by a report in the Financial Times that Lotus planned to end production there. • Labour's industrial energy strategy lacks ambition, say carmakers In response, Lotus issued a statement on Saturday, saying that it had 'no plans' to close the factory, which was founded in 1966, and remained 'committed' to the UK, its largest commercial market in Europe and the 'heart' of the brand. The manufacturer said it was 'continuing normal operations' and was 'actively exploring strategic options to enhance efficiency and ensure global competitiveness in the evolving market. 'We have invested significantly in R&D [research and development] and operations in the UK, over the past six years,' it added. Geely acquired a 51 per cent stake in Lotus in 2017, as part of a deal to invest in Proton, its Malaysian owner, after years of losses at the company. The Chinese group has invested £3 billion but has struggled with the transition to upmarket electric vehicles and more recently US tariffs, and has shifted attention to a new site in Wuhan, eastern China. Shares in Lotus have fallen by 84 per cent since listing on Nasdaq in February last year. • What happens when a classic English sports car goes electric? Ben Goldsborough, the Labour MP for South Norfolk, whose constituency includes the Hethel plant, said: 'The one thing that we need to make sure is that with the Chinese ownership talking about the plant being safe, that it's not just the plant being safe, but there is a future as well in their proposals. 'That's why the British management team that I've been working very closely with alongside ministers have made it very clear that there is a desire to make sure that this isn't just an industry or a factory that stays there in name but it's also producing and keeping the Lotus brand alive as well.' This meant that 'concrete proposals on the future' of the plant were required, beyond 'warm words', Goldsborough said.
