'No recess on efforts to restore devolution' - Colum Eastwood

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MP has said there can be no summer recess on efforts to restore devolution in the North.

His remarks came following a meeting with British Secretary of State Chris Heaton Harris at Westminster on Wednesday.

Mr Eastwood said that people feeling the impact of hospital waiting lists, the public sector pay crisis, soaring childcare costs and household bills wont get a break and neither should those with a responsibility to form an Executive.

He added: "There can be no summer recess on the efforts to restore devolution. People across our communities are experiencing hardship and pain as the impact of the breakdown of democratic governance steadily gets worse.

"People waiting for hospital treatment, families where working parents haven’t had a fair pay rise in years, people who can’t afford soaring mortgage costs or childcare bills won’t be getting a break over the next few months and neither should political leaders who have a responsibility to form a government.

“I have again outlined to the Secretary of State that the SDLP will play a constructive role in Opposition to re-establish devolved government. Our priorities for opposition will include addressing the childcare costs crisis, transforming health services to meet the needs of our people, ensuring that workers are paid fairly and that support is provided to families to address the cost of living.

"And we’ll help secure public finances with the SDLP’s triple lock plan to prevent the decimation of public services. People are quickly running out of patience with the glacial pace of progress on these issues. A summer of drift cannot be allowed to happen.”