Derry councillor: Finance Minister must assist Council with rates freeze

A local councillor has called on the Finance Minister to put measures in place that will allow domestic rates to be frozen in Derry and across Northern Ireland.

When a draft budget was announced earlier this year Sinn Féin Finance Minister Conor Murphy accepted that it would be a 'challenge' to deliver services at their current level.

His intention was to freeze the regional rates for both households and businesses and he urged councils to play their part by doing the same in respect of their district rates.

The Finance Minister added that he also intends to provide £150m of additional business rates support in 2021-22.

Rates will need to be struck in Derry City and Strabane by March 1.

People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said he does not believe a further increase on ratepayers 'can be justified'.

"Those with the least have struggled the most throughout the pandemic. 

"Many people have lost their jobs and many others are very uncertain what the future holds," Cllr Harkin said.

"In our opinion, the Westminster and Stormont political establishment has allowed too many people to fall through the cracks into financial despair over the last year. At the same time hundreds of millions of pounds are going unspent by Executive Ministers. This is an unacceptable situation. 

"There has been government intervention to assist Council's during the pandemic but we believe it is their responsibility to do much more. The Minister for Finance has urged Council's to freeze domestic rates but measures must be put in place to allow this to happen."

He added: "The Rates Support Grant has been cut significantly by the Executive for many years. Funding for the RSG should be backdated, restored and increased to allow Council's to avoid having to add further burden to ratepayers. 

"It's well documented that billionaires and many big corporations have increased their wealth during the pandemic. With so many people struggling and our health service near breaking point, this is simply grotesque.

"It's time for a push towards Wealth Tax on billionaires and profit-rich corporations to protect public services and tackle spiralling inequality. Our minimum wage rates and benefits system both need to be overhauled and replaced in order to challenge in-work poverty and the marginalisation of the most vulnerable in society."