Integrated services would avoid water charges: Parsley

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 26th Apr 2005

Alliance local government candidate Ian James Parsley has echoed Party Leader David Ford's call to use savings from integrating services to avoid punitive water charges.

Mr Parsley, who chairs the party's youth wing, stated: "As our Party Leader made clear, Alliance has resolutely opposed punitive extra charges for water for over a decade. We will fiercely oppose any measure to introduce unfair extra charges upon those we already pay through rates.

"I already know of many young people who have had to give up trying to get on to the property ladder due to rising house prices and cost-of-living. Now the Government is advocating making this impossible by adding an extra charge for water which they may not even use.

"We already pay for water through rates. If the suggestion is that there is a fairer way to pay for water delivery than through rates, we will consider it. But we will not accept an extra charge applied unfairly on top of what we already pay.

"The simple fact is we throw money away to pay for unnecessarily segregated services. The integration of services and reinvestment of this money in infrastructure and services would remove any need for extra charges and regional rate hikes.

"The choice on 5 May is simple. To stop the tap tax and to stop having to pay for more and more unnecessary and unhealthy segregation, vote Alliance."

ENDS