After voting against the 2025/26 Budget, Gerry Carroll said, “This budget can be fairly described as another year of crisis management.”
“In the chamber today, the Minister denied that the Executive was ‘governing over a disaster’. If a homelessness crisis, toxic algae plaguing our waterways and the worst health waiting lists on these islands don’t constitute a disaster, it’s not clear what does.”
“Allocations for childcare, ending violence against women and girls and Lough Neagh are wholly inadequate, compared with Executive Ministers’ own estimates of the funding needed to tackle these deep-rooted, systemic issues.”
“There are no new mitigations for Labour’s brutal social security cuts, nor plans to mitigate existing policies like the two-child limit.”
“Ordinary people are being hammered by a 5% increase to the regional rate this year with absolutely no improvement in the delivery of services to justify it. Students who are already paying extortionate rents and working multiple jobs are facing potential tuition fee hikes of more than £1,000.”
“Once again, Executive parties complain about Westminster austerity while doing Keir Starmer’s economic bidding. People are fed up of business as usual. There is plenty of wealth in our society that could be properly taxed and used to fund our public services. It’s time for a mass redistribution of wealth, and for the rich to finally pay their fair share.”