'The ones who will be overlooked will be the elderly, the isolated, the vulnerable, those with learning difficulties'
A row over the Belfast Council fuel poverty hardship fund has continued at City Hall, with smaller parties accusing Sinn Féin and the DUP of a community group “carve-up” in distributing £100 vouchers.
The £100 vouchers are distributed on a first come, first served basis, which has led to criticisms that the most vulnerable will not receive, and certain parts of the city will be more easily facilitated than others, with certain communities becoming aware about the offer, while others remain in the dark.
“The minutes suggest it is on a first-come-first-served basis. Even that undermines the purpose - those who are most knowledgeable, those who know how to apply, those who have got the best information, will have applied for it. They are unlikely to be the most vulnerable and most needy. The Sinn Féin/DUP funding model, previously used over a divisive “bonfire diversion” fund, was branded a political “carve-up” last year, while the local government auditor, Collette Kane, wrote to the council to “highlight concerns.” Alliance, SDLP and Green Party said the model, which attracted criticism on issues of open process and transparency during the diversionary funding, was carried over into the fuel hardship funding.
He added: “The point is made that £60,000 is excessive. The reality is two domestic cleaners, working in the Royal Hospital, doing a bit of overtime would easily breach the £40,000 limit. He said: “People don’t know what wards they live in. If you live in this ward, you have to go to this organisation, but if you live in another ward you have to go to another organisation.
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