RESIDENTS living in the Colin area of Belfast feel that they’ve been left behind when it comes to amenities and services, says a candidate in May’s local government election.
People Before Profit councillor Michael Collins is defending the seat that he won for the first time in the 2019 Belfast City Council election.
“There tends to be a lack of amenities in Colin,” he said. “The residents are over-charged for burials in Blaris cemetery and residents are unable to use their nearest recycling point which is up at the Cutts”.
He added: “The lack of regularity of feeder buses only adds to the sense Colin has been left behind when it comes to amenities and services.”
Regarding the ongoing strikes that are taking place in various sectors, he said they have led to people asking questions about how society is being run.
People Before Profit will be challenging an 8 percent rates hike in Belfast city council tonight, which has been supported by DUP and SF. This isn’t just a cost of living crisis, it’s a cost of profiteering crisis and a cost of greed crisis. pic.twitter.com/yrFAVG0Npe
— Cllr Matt Collins (@MattCollinspbp) February 1, 2023
“They’re raising questions beyond simply pay," he said.
“The strikes have become political in a sense that people are asking, ‘why are the schools having to fundraise for basics like stationery? Why are our budgets being cut year-on-year?
“There’s nothing left to cut in the schools.
“Similarly with the health service, it’s not simply about pay. It’s about privatisation in the health service. We have the longest waiting times anywhere in the UK.
"These strikes are really raising these questions in a way that I think the political establishment tries to ignore.”
Debunking the narrative that you have to make cuts in order to lift wages, he said: “We know there are billions and billions wasted every single year by corporations who avoid paying taxes legally. There are more progressive ways to fund services and that involves taxing the rich."
