Where is the support that we all need?

MANY of us have spent the last week looking to back to the past following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accension of King Charles III.

Now that the new King has succeeded his mother as monarch, many of us may be wondering what does the future hold in this new age for the monarchy?

However, we also all face a collective need to focus on present times. There is a great concern among all of society collectively regarding the rising cost of living.

This week, we hear from Sharon Morrison, who operates a popular café in Enniskillen, who speaks of the difficulties that many businesses are also facing as she, and they, face electricity bill rises of 100 per cent.

This kind of hike is unacceptable, and it is not sustainable for businesses – or any household – to be facing this kind of hike.

However, there are some green shoots to be seen as there appears to be a surge of new businesses opening in Enniskillen town centre. But our town centre has only begun to recover from the Covid-19 lockdown, and such rises in costs are not helpful for business.

Outside of business, domestic electricity prices are on the rise and with the darker evenings starting to settle in, many will feel a pinch in their pocket as the nights draw longer and we rely more and more on electricity for light, heat and entertainment.

Home heating is on the rise and although many of us are not at the mercy of gas companies, there appears to be no sign in the price of oil, coal or other fuels dropping which could mean for many that we are in for a long, cold, and expensive winter.

We need intervention; we as a society are now at the mercy of the price of utility services. We have a thriving local business scene, but if the cost of living continues to rise, there will be very little disposable income left.

We have a caretaker Executive in place who are on deadline; there have been some suggestions that the Secretary of State may call an election ahead of Christmas if an executive is not formed, but our community needs action sooner rather than later.

Things cannot go on like this.