At a meeting of the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Brexit Committee the Omagh Councillor raised, under Any Other Business, concerns that had been brought to his attention by constituents, particularly in light of the rising cost of living.

The committee subsequently granted unanimous approval to Alliance’s requests that: the Council’s public communication channels be fully harnessed to ensure comprehensive information would be made available about the range of support on offer, the Council steps up its engagement with statutory partners, including the PSNI and Housing Executive, to ensure all plans are in place for inter-agency working, and that a meeting be convened with the Housing Executive to discuss progress on implementation of the ‘Ending Homelessness Together’ strategy.

“Given Stormont is essentially rudderless and out of action, and given that we are seeing significant price hikes as demonstrated by Electric Ireland earlier today, I do fear that what we are witnessing is a dangerous cocktail of pressures coming together that will put more individuals and families at risk of homelessness”, he said.

“Nobody should be sleeping rough on the streets of Omagh, or anywhere else in NI at any time, under any circumstances, but particularly not during a difficult winter amidst cost of living pressures that will prove devastating for the mental health and physical well-being of many.”