Derry Journal Editorial: A helping hand will be more vital than ever this winter as cost of living bites

And that will be the case for more people than usual this year as the cost of living spikes continue to bite and people struggle to heat their homes and provide enough food just as key benefits and one off supports are being cut back.

Recently in the Council chamber we heard of the horrific impact the Labour Party decision to withdraw the annual Winter Fuel payments from millions of pensioners will have. The measure, adopted here, albeit reluctantly, has caused widespread anxiety.

One of the speakers who petitioned the Council to help challenge the governments on the cut warned that people will die this winter because of it. That was no exaggeration.

How any government could take away such a vital support from so many beggars belief. We all know our energy bills remain quite high here and that many people struggle to meet those costs. The cost of food and other goods has also skyrocketed in recent years. Household incomes have not kept up with those increases, and many young families and single people will also be forced to seek emergency help this winter.

Thankfully we have a lot of kind, thoughtful people in the north west, who give of themselves and donate to charities year round and especially at Christmas. You dread to think where a lot of people would be without that. We have so many great communities too where people look out for relatives, friends and neighbours.

All this is crucial to so many in need each year, but this Christmas such good deeds may prove to be, literally, a lifeline.