Derry Against Fuel Poverty rally staged as oil and gas prices soar

Several speakers at the Derry Against Fuel Poverty rally in Waterloo Place spoke of the crippling impact soaring energy prices were having on households across the city and beyond.

The rally- the second organised in the past month by the new grassroots organisation - came as oil prices surpassed £500 for 500 litres in Derry.

This is compared to around £192 on average just a year ago in March 2021 for the same amount of oil in Derry, according to the Consumer Council monitoring survey.

Gas prices have also increased dramatically over the past year, and diesel and petrol prices have also shot up, as has the price of food while wages and benefits have remained largely static.

Those gathered in Derry heard calls for Stormont and Westminster to go much further than the mitigating measures for some low income households put in place to date to help the growing number of people unable to or struggling to heat their homes.

Sinead Quinn, in a statement ahead of the rally, said: “Whilst we recognise the global context has shifted dramatically in the past week, we continue to beat the drum for the people of Derry who are still experiencing severe hardship in the face of rising household costs.

“In fact, bills are only climbing higher with oil, petrol and diesel prices skyrocketing and more hikes on the way. We’re being contacted on a regular basis by people who are chronically ill, mothers with young children and working people who simply can’t afford to heat, eat or light their homes. It is a frightening and unprecedented time for many.

“We recognise that this is a “global crisis”. However, it cannot be allowed to stand as some kind of rationale for the lack of appropriate and timely intervention by our government. As we seen most recently during the pandemic, appropriate and timely responses at all levels of government were extremely important to managing that particular global crisis at local level. This “can’t do” approach at Stormont must be replaced by resourcefulness and innovation.

“It’s fair to assume that our political representatives can’t even begin to really understand what it’s like to be poor. A cold house and an empty fridge serves as a stark reminder of the situation we’re facing on a daily basis. When MPs are getting a raise of £2,200 and MLAs are seeing £500 extra in their pockets, the most vulnerable people in our society literally can’t keep up with prepay meters running out of credit. Times are bleak.”