£1billion A5 funding welcome but draft budget 'still fails people' - MLA

WEST Tyrone MLA., Daniel McCrossan, has said that while the draft multiyear budget contains a welcome ring fenced commitment of over £1 billion for the A5, it ultimately exposes continued division and a failure of leadership at the heart of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Speaking on Monday after Finance Minister John O'Dowd outlined the budget details to the Assembly, Mr McCrossan said: "What we have now is not working.

"Public services are failing people every day. Waiting lists remain unacceptably long, housing delivery is falling short, and communities continue to live with the consequences of crisis budgeting.

"People were promised better than this.”

The SDLP MLA said his party has consistently called for a proper, ambitious multiyear budget as the only way to move beyond short term firefighting and deliver real reform.

“An ambitious multiyear budget is essential," he continued. "It should give departments certainty, enable long term planning and support genuine transformation.

"What was published this week does not meet that test.”

McCrossan said the SDLP welcomes the ring fenced commitment of over £1 billion for the A5, describing it as a vital investment in road safety, regional balance and economic growth in the west.

“The A5 will save lives, support connectivity and unlock opportunity," he added.

"Ring fencing this funding is the right decision. However, one positive announcement cannot disguise the wider shortcomings of this draft budget.”

He described the document as a “ghost budget” that lacks Executive agreement and strategic vision.

“Instead of a clear plan for transforming public services, we were presented with a departmental carve up, recycled spreadsheets and blame shifting between Ministers," Mr McCrossan continued.

"Without Executive agreement, this draft lacks credibility.”

He added that the draft budget fails to set out a serious strategy for health transformation, housing delivery or sustainable infrastructure investment, and avoids any honest conversation about how revenue is raised fairly to fund services.

“This is another attempt to give the illusion of action while services continue to crumble," he said. "It does not have to be this way.

"The SDLP will continue to push for a proper, agreed multiyear budget aligned to a real Programme for Government that delivers real change for people.”