A row over the Belfast Council fuel poverty hardship fund has continued at City Hall, with smaller parties accusing Sinn Féin and the DUP of a community group “carve-up” in distributing £100 vouchers.
Parties accused Sinn Féin and the DUP of pushing through a fund that relies on distribution from 'strategic partners', or community groups, that were picked to receive money from the council in the early days of the pandemic.
The Sinn Féin/DUP plan means households earning up to £60,000 a year have the right to apply to receive a one-off £100 fuel hardship fund. 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, as recommended by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
