Soaring fuel costs 'will mean many cold houses in Mayo this winter'
The cost of home heating oil has soared this year.
Crippling fuel costs will mean many cold houses in Mayo this winter while rural people will be unable to travel, according to local representatives.
Cllr John O'Malley raised the matter at the September meeting of Mayo Co Council, stating: “People are going to have to find a different way of travel because of the price of fuel. Diesel is €2.05 a litre and the prices keep on rising. In rural areas, using our vehicles is the only way we can travel but if these costs continue, we will have to find an alternative way of travelling.”
Cllr Harry Barrett said he was getting a lot of calls from families in Castlebar about the increasing price of home heating oil, with the cost of filling a standard 1,000 litre home-heating oil tank "rising from about €950 in February to around €1,500".
“People will not be able to afford this, and we will have very many cold households in the county this winter as a result.
"I propose we write jointly to Minister for Finance Simon Harris TD and the Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary TD for the following four measures - a winter energy payment that includes working families; a cap on domestic ESB standing charges; specific help for households dependent on home heating oil; and the suspension of the carbon tax on petrol and diesel until prices fall to €1.60 a litre.”
The proposal was approved by members.
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
