🚨 Invest NI told regional balance should be measured by real jobs as agency hides global company’s Derry figures The figures are directly linked to one of the Department for the Economy’s stated aims of delivering regional balance. In May 2025 EY opened a new office at Ebrington in the Waterside area of Derry. At the time it was said the office would accommodate up to 120 staff. But EY, Invest NI and the Department for the Economy have claimed it is impossible to provide a figure. (See pic below of one redacted document. There were loads of redactions throughout a short document, with Invest NI and EY clearly keen to hide whether targets are being met. (Full story online. You can search the headline).

𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭-𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 — 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 An exchange on here yesterday shows what parties mean when they talk about regional equality. It appears to mean they're happy for MLAs in the impacted area, in this case Derry/NW to champion that cause because it may play well with the local electorate. Ask a party leader in Belfast to fully endorse that call for equality: crickets. That seems to align with the position of universities themselves. They're happy for Magee to be expanded, so long as it doesn't impact on Belfast in any way. 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒! You don't say, we need more investment outside London, but London won't be weakened in any way. Let's be clear here, you cannot be serious about regional equality — or equality at all — if you also believe it's okay for Belfast to have 84% of the North's Higher Education student population. Because Belfast having that number of students is the central reason for regional equality. Invest NI, the economy department, economic experts, would acknowledge that businesses are all drawn to Belfast because they want to set up next to universities. 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 84% 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒏𝒐 𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒖𝒕𝒔 𝑩𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒕 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆. Parties talk about responsible government. They talk about having to make tough decisions in health about where some services should be based. Tell me ... What's different when it comes to applying that logic to higher education? I'll answer that. There is no difference and if someone claims there is, it exposes them and their party as hypocrits. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙡𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙜𝙨 84% 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝'𝙨 𝙃𝙀 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 (Map with student numbers is a year or two out of date but the percentage of students in each city will be basically unchanged).

NEW: Invest NI picks prime location for ‘brand new’ north west office amid calls for stronger presence At present, the economic development agency’s office is located at Timberquay on Derry’s Strand Road. The North West Regional Office works with businesses, entrepreneurs and stakeholders across the Derry City and Strabane District Council and Causeway Coast & Glens areas. The agency has been criticised for its lack of presence in Northern Ireland’s second city — an area which is the most deprived in Ireland and Britain.

NEW: A sale has been agreed for the BBC Radio Foyle building in Derry Property listing said the property could be converted ‘to residential or mixed-use accommodation’ The site where the Radio Foyle studio is based was placed on the market for £475,000 back in May. It prompted speculation about the future of the building. (Full story online).

The university's hierarchy don't seem to have taken responsibility for any poor or questionable decisions from what I've seen. Quite the opposite in fact. I've seen all blame levelled at Stormont. Stormont should of course accept some blame for the state of higher education, though it is an issue in Britain and elsewhere. Maybe if UU focused on the job at hand instead of, as I've been told by numerous sources, spending time bashing stories of mines, with certain figures showing disdain for journalism that holds Stormont & UU to account. Imagine accurate reporting winding you up so much. I remember being pulled to one side while covering a press conference at Magee. 'What do we have to do to convince you we mean business in Derry?' I was asked. 'You don't have to convince me of anything,' I said, 'but UU showing it's willing to spend money in Derry after spending £370m in Belfast would go some way to convincing the public that UU is committed.' I went away. Continued to apply scrutiny. I was blacklisted by UU for not falling into line. UU spent £370m in Belfast. Then showed Derry attention — many would argue — for the first time in decades when c£100m of City Deal money was on the table for Magee. Wise men who work in Creggan predicted the omnishambles that is unfolding right now. They spoke of UU being in financial difficulties after blowing the bank on UU Belfast. They spoke of the need for an independent NW university, free from the shackles of Belfast. Of the possibility of accessing cross-border funding and establishing cross-border links with Letterkenny (an idea that was ridiculed, but QUB has subsequently run with as it teamed up with Dundalk). They spoke of the need for North West autonomy. All points that remain live and relevant today. Ye know what champions of UU did? Essentially mocked them ... Said UU was 'the only show in town'. That a cross-border element was impossible. A paper could have been produced at Stormont to examine the viability of different options, but it wasn't, to my knowledge. MLAs, councillors, the taskforce, some media, made out Magee expansion to 10,000 students was signed, sealed and delivered. 'Be positive. Look to the future, not back at past decisions,' they snarked. But that's foolish. Because the failure to invest in Derry over decades has led to the situation Magee is in right now. There's no amount of marketing or PR capable of changing that reality. Trying to expand in a short space of time is difficult and unwise. Increasing student numbers without having accommodation in place for them illustrates how little planning there has been over the years. Seeking a sports dome when there is barely a decent pitch at present was overkill — a dome project that has since been scrapped, wasting £800k. A Medical School is being downgraded as funds have dried up. Plans for wider expansion cast into serious doubt given the workforce is being slashed and there is no Stormont budget. Modest progress has been made, but the wheels have come off for a variety of reasons. Nobody takes pleasure in what's happening now. Hundreds of jobs being cut. There are some who should however demonstrate humility. There are some who should accept responsibility instead of pointing the finger at everyone else.