SDLP Councillor Rory Farrell has said the pending 56% Firmus gas price increase is a “catastrophe coming down the tracks”.
Speaking at Council’s Governance & Strategic Planning Committee, the Ballyarnett representative said:
“The 56% gas price increase from Firmus is a bombshell, and it isn’t the first increase this year. In February, we were burdened with 33%. In May, there was another 16% and now we have this 56%.
“So, in the last nine months gas prices in Derry have increased by 140%, which is completely unsustainable and completely unaffordable for normal working families.
“We’ve had limited support from Westminster. We’ve had no support from Stormont.
“And the DUP should hang their heads in shame. Their boycott of the Assembly is preventing money going into people’s pockets – people that need support to heat their homes.
“And people are literally going to be afraid to turn the heat on in their own home, they won’t be able to afford it. So, this is a catastrophe coming down the tracks.”
Cllr Farrell concluded: “I know that we have no Executive. I know that we have caretakers ministers in place, but they cannot agree any new spending without an Executive.
“I know that we cannot write to the DUP asking them to return to the Executive, as we have tabled that on so many occasions.
“But we should write to Jayne Brady, the Head of the Civil Service, asking her to immediately convene a Cost of Living Taskforce.”
The proposal gained unanimous support.
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