COUNCIL REQUESTS URGENT MINISTER MEETING TO DISCUSS LOW INCOME STATISTICS
Publish Date: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council has requested a meeting with Minister of Social Development, Margaret Ritchie, to discuss recently published statistics that declare children living in Dungannon are at high risk of low income.
The startling statistics were revealed in DSD's 'Households Below Average Income, Northern Ireland, 2005/06' report.
Mayor of Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council, Councillor Barry Monteith says that Council intend to deal with this as a high priority matter. He says:
"Council has been lobbying government departments on a number of issues relating to Targeting Social Need mainly attributed to low income. Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough has previously been identified, in DETI figures, within the top five most deprived areas based on economic criteria, again mainly due to lower incomes compared to other areas.
Whilst Council was aware this was having a major impact upon the lives of people living in the Borough, this current study depicts the gravity of the situation when impacting upon children and the need to ensure that this is addressed as a matter of urgency. We plan to meet with groups at a local level including Sure Start and St Vincent de Paul with the aim of setting up a task force to improve these startling statistics."
