TOWN COUNCILLORS CALL FOR INCREASE IN FUEL ALLOWANCE
At last Tuesday night’s sitting of Fermoy Town Council, local councillors agreed to write to the Minister for Social Welfare to request an increase in fuel allowance payments for social welfare recipients and the elderly to ease the impact of the 5% carbon levy and 5% increase in the ESB.
The carbon levy, introduced by the Green Party, added up to 11% to the cost of coal and 8.7% to home heating oil.
Age Action Ireland has already revealed figures showing that as many as 2,000 elderly people are dying prematurely in this country every winter because they cannot afford to heat their homes. Cllr Noel McCarthy said that it’s the vulnerable people that will suffer once again and said that an increase in the fuel allowance is a must.
Cllr John Murphy added that, if ESB prices continue to rise, there could be job losses and the vulnerable in our society will suffer. Cllr Pa O’Driscoll agreed with his fellow councillors and added that it is a wrong time for a 5% carbon tax to have been introduced.
“This should have been done in the last ten years. Our ESB prices are the 5th highest in Europe and adding 10% will not improve the situation.”
Cllr Tadhg O’Donovan said that the economic crisis cannot be used as a reason to abandon the most vulnerable of people who depend on financial help for a decent quality of life.
Published:
Thursday 21st October 6:33pm
