‘People are still in arrears for electrcity from last year and are trying to catch up’
Public Representatives on the Cost of Living Crisis
“People are coming into the (constituency) office and saying they are still in arrears for electricity for last year, so they are still trying to catch up and that it is impossible to catch up on when you are so far behind,” said Ashbourne Cllr Helen Meyer.
Cllr Meyer said she is seeing people who are “paying the bare minimum for electricity so they can buy food”
She said one woman had her car break down and “it was like the straw that broke the camel’s back because she can’t afford to get it fixed. Meyer said she put in a special needs payment for her, but “in the meantime she is getting two buses to work and that’s causing her to need more childcare. It’s just a vicious circle.”
She said businesses are also feeling the brunt of people cutting back, especially restaurant owners, with one telling Meyer he is seeing a decrease in the number of people coming in because they need to save money.
“He said he is under serious pressure to increase the prices on the menu. Fewer people will come in even again so it’s that balance.”
Navan Cllr Alan Lawes said people living in emergency accommodation are hit especially hard because a vast majority of these accommodations do not have cooking facilities. “They’re left with one option: to eat fast food.”
Cllr Emer Tóibín during a Meath County Council meeting in May submitted a motion, supported by Cllr Lawes, to make a requirement for homeless accommodation to include laundry and cooking facilities “in order to promote dignity and healthier living conditions for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.”
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