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Belfast Live

National

Brendan Hughes

Brendan Hughes: 'Dickensian' fuel poverty fund roll-out raises questions for Belfast City Council

Brendan Hughes Belfast City Council Poverty DUP Sinn Féin Sir Keir Starmer

It is far from unusual for politicians to deliver tax breaks and funding giveaways in the months before an election.

And so a council handing out £100 vouchers to households to help with energy bills sounds like simply another pre-election policy hoping to win over potential voters.

But the £1million Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund rolled out by Belfast City Council has been mired in controversy - and claims of being hijacked by a DUP and Sinn Féin "carve-up".

The scheme initially faced criticism for enabling households earning up to £60,000 a year to apply for the vouchers.

For an initiative supposed to be aimed at the most vulnerable, the threshold seemed incredibly high.

A Green Party bid to reduce this to £43,000 was rejected by 30 votes to 24, with Sinn Féin and DUP councillors voting against the proposal.

Since the scheme was approved last month, much of the scrutiny has now since turned to the way in which the vouchers have been allocated.

With the vouchers distributed on a "first come, first served" basis, it led to a scramble to receive the support.

There were reports of many people queueing for hours only to miss out in scenes described and "Dickensian".

It seems unnecessarily and uncomfortably degrading - and there is no guarantee it even reached the city's most vulnerable.

Older people and those with disabilities unable to queue for long periods may have missed out, while other disadvantaged households may only have heard about the scheme after it closed in their area.

Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick, a law lecturer at Ulster University, told the BBC's Nolan Show: "It's just so important that we put people's dignity at the heart of processes like this, and in order to do that there needs to be a consistent approach on a city-wide basis."

It raises further questions about the council's model of using so-called "partner organisations" to administer the scheme.

The structure was first used during the Covid-19 emergency, with community groups handpicked for the quick allocation of council hardship funds.

But even though the pandemic has receded, the model has continued to be used. Smaller parties have raised concerns over the level of transparency and the lack of an open call process allowing all community groups to apply.

Alliance councillor Sam Nelson said: "The DUP/SF block have continually pushed through the same groups again and again.

"The fact that they unilaterally swapped in and out new partners, with no competition for the Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund, is also of concern and reeks of a carve-up."

Sinn Féin has dismissed criticisms, saying that councillors "should support the fantastic job that these community organisations do, instead of seeking to undermine them".

The Audit Office is making enquiries, but it is not the first time Sinn Fein and the DUP have faced scrutiny on this issue.

Just over a year ago they agreed to divide £650,000 between nine community groups to deliver food and fuel vouchers after rejecting a proposal by smaller parties to share the money among a wider range of organisations.

The local government auditor in 2021 also previously raised concerns about the lack of an open call process for a £500,000 'bonfire diversion' fund, saying it risked a perception of favouritism and unfairness.

There is no suggestion these chosen groups for the fuel poverty scheme have done anything wrong, and the initiative was by all means very well-intentioned.

But the controversy over its roll-out raises questions over whether this model is the best and fairest way to deliver support that ensures it reaches those most in need.

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