Ards and North Down Borough Council has rejected a Belfast-style fuel poverty fund opting instead for a £50,000 local hardship fund.
At the recent full meeting of Ards and North Down Council, elected members agreed a motion proposed by UUP Councillor Philip Smith and amended by Green Councillor Rachel Woods, to allocate £50,000 “short-term support” for local food banks, St Vincent De Paul and Community Advice AND to “help those in immediate financial hardship.”
At the previous full council meeting, elected representatives commissioned a paper looking at how those most in need in the borough could be helped during the winter, but stopped short of voting for a fuel hardship fund.
