A fuel poverty hardship fund has sparked a fierce row at Belfast City Hall over plans to allow families earning up to £60,000 to apply.
A fuel poverty hardship fund has sparked a fierce row at Belfast City Hall over plans to allow families earning up to £60,000 to apply.
Smaller parties including Alliance, the SDLP, the Greens, People Before Profit and the UUP all voted for a smaller eligibility threshold, namely £43,400 per year per household. Alliance, the SDLP, and People Before Profit also previously voted to use the city's advice centres to distribute the money rather than the Sinn Féin/DUP strategic partner method, which involves distribution from community groups in a model set up under emergency conditions at the start of the pandemic.
Councillor Flynn told the chamber: “The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Office for National Statistics recently outlined in their UK report that the minimum income standards for households with two children is £43,400 in 2022. That is taking into account energy costs and other costs.” Sinn Féin Councillor Ciaran Beattie said: “When it comes to a hundred pound voucher for someone in need, some parties want them to beg for it. They want them to show the evidence they are poor, they want them to jump through hoops to tell them they are poor. That for us is sad.”
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