SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan has said that local people are being left in the cold as the absence of a Stormont Executive means that critical changes to the Affordable Warmth Scheme can’t be made.
The Scheme is in initiative to combat fuel poverty by providing grants for home insulation, boiler upgrades and other energy efficiency measures.
Mr Durkan said: “We’ve already started to endure a bitterly cold winter this year as plummeting temperatures have brought snow and ice to local communities.
“For those trying to make ends meet, the cold snap makes life even more difficult as they struggle to keep their homes warm. It’s a particular challenge for many older people and those with young children.
“No one should be forced to choose between food or fuel this winter.
“One of the consequences of an absent Stormont Executive is that critical changes cannot be made to the Affordable Warmth Scheme which provides grant support to people suffering from fuel poverty. These grants can be used for cavity wall insulation, roof insulation, boiler upgrades or other energy efficiency measures.
“But a key flaw in the scheme is that the threshold for acceptance is far too low and excludes many people in fuel poverty. It also considers welfare support as income, taking hundreds of hard pressed families out of consideration for extra help this winter.
“It was recommended that these issues be addressed but the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities has confirmed to the SDLP that this will not be done in the absence of local Ministers.
“People in our communities should not be forced into this position as a result of a political failure.”
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