Derry and Strabane fuel poverty fund may not happen, says councillor

The council set aside £258,000 for the Discretionary Emergency Fuel Support Programme

A hardship fund to help people in the Derry and Strabane District Council area who are struggling to pay their home heating bills may never happen, a councillor has said.

The plan was to issue one-off payments directly to people's energy providers.

But it has been delayed due to problems finding a company to administer the scheme and issue the payments.

Councillor Rory Farrell said the council had a budget of about £250,000 to help 2,500 households.

But he added that if the council failed to appoint a company - referred to as a "fuel payment partner" - to run the scheme was "not going to happen".

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle on Wednesday, Mr Farrell said there was "agreement across the parties and individuals within council that it needs to happen".

The SDLP councillor said the scheme "all hinges on the appointment of a fuel payment partner".

People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin apologised to the public for the delay in rolling the scheme out.

"We were working with a fuel payment partner but unfortunately after working with them for a couple of weeks it turned out they weren't able to administer the payment," councillor Harkin said.

"It is going to go out to tender again."

Mr Harkin said he hoped the scheme would be able to move forward "as soon as possible."

In order to be eligible for the fund, a household must fulfil one of these criteria:

• The household earns a total income of less than £40,000

• A member of the household is entitled to free school meals

• The household is in debt with an energy provider

• There is a "vulnerable person" in the household

• A member of the household has recently been become unemployed

• A member of the household is on a zero-hours contract

The scheme is designed for emergency situations when a householder is not able to pay fuel bills or buy a top-up.

It is run on a referral basis - referrals can be made by any local support organisation, school, church or charity.

People can also refer themselves using an application form that will be available on the council's website when the scheme opens.

A household can only receive one payment through the fund.

The story so far

Derry City and Strabane District Council set aside £258,000 to administer what is known as the Discretionary Emergency Fuel Support Programme for people in the district needing emergency fuel support.

It would mean £100 would be paid directly to people's energy providers.

The scheme had been due to issue the first payments by the end of October.

Applications were due to open on 17 October but that did not happen.

The council had said the reason for a "short delay" in starting the scheme was due to the "unsuccessful appointment" of a company to administer it.

On Tuesday the council told BBC Radio Foyle that it had yet to appoint a company to run the fund and was hoping to finalise that process "in the coming weeks".

In an update on Wednesday it emerged it would cost the council about £15,000 to find a new administrator for the scheme.