Durkan: Councils crucial in fightback against poverty that is ‘acutely felt’ in Derry
Mark Durkan has said local councils have been at the forefront in the fightback against poverty amid a cost-of-living crisis that is being felt ‘extremely acutely’ in Derry and Strabane.
The Foyle MLA said local authorities are having to step beyond their statutory responsibilities to help struggling citizens.
“Councils here have become leaders in the fightback against poverty. They provide the services that people have to turn to when they cannot heat their home or afford food or when they are drowning under the pressure of the cost of living. That reality is felt across all council areas, but it is felt differently in different areas. It is felt extremely acutely in Derry and Strabane.
“Time and again, we have seen councils step in to provide support, often in the absence of Executive support. Local government is therefore leading the way,” the SDLP MLA observed during a debate Stormont’s engagement with local government on its draft Anti-Poverty stategy.