Coalition must deliver immediate supports for those devastated by Storm Babet
- Supports should be damage tested as opposed to means tested
- Photo-ops will not pay bills next week
Labour Party Cllr John Maher has called on the Fianna Fáil / Fine Gael / Green Coalition to introduce immediate supports for those affected by floodwaters caused by Storm Babet.
Cllr Maher said
“I believe the supports should be damage tested, as opposed to means tested, especially where homes like residents in Glanmire have had no insurance and have been flooded twice due to government inaction.
“Home owners, businesses and local councils don’t need talk, they need action and money from central government to get people back in their homes, businesses back up and running. We need local infrastructure open for communities to use.
“People need more than photo ops and words of sympathy. Government cannot just show up for press conferences and forget about the people of Cork and all areas impacted over the weekend. They must listen now to what people are crying out for here.
“What we need to see now is targeted and immediate supports to get people and businesses back up and running.
“We supported businesses swiftly during Covid with the temporary wage scheme. The mechanism and institutional muscle memory is there to replicate again.
“Let’s do something similar now for those devastated this week. In Glanmire, two local community pitches and clubs are destroyed. Let’s give people hope and offer supports that are easy to apply for, paid quickly and look at damage tested as opposed to means tested.
“Labour is calling on Government to commit to our proposals, to give the impacted people and businesses certainty about their future today.”
Cllr Maher said he would be raising the process with his Parliamentary Colleagues, including Party Leader Ivana Bacik & Sean Sherlock. Deputy Bacik raised the need to provide urgent supports to the people impacted in the Dail on Thursday.