Rice condems DUP 'rates time-bomb'

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 1st Apr 2003

The title of the DUP's latest economic paper is well named - Rates Time Bomb - as they have had plenty of experience at creating one in Castlereagh Council.

We have seen how the DUP operate; years of setting artificially low rates has led to cuts in the Council's assets, services and jobs. While Peter Robinson was drafting his document, his constituents were reduced to protesting outside the Council offices holding placards reading: Low rates - but at what cost?

It was indeed a 'Rates Time Bomb' for the DUP, and it nearly blew the Robinson Centre swimming pools out of the water for years and could yet decimate Hydebank playing fields.

If the DUP are now pointing out that there is too much bureaucracy and too little accountability in Stormont, it is a point consistently made by Alliance in its criticism of the Executive parties, of which the DUP was one.

However, one has to question whether the DUP can ever be trusted to aim for long-term financial stability, rather than short-term political gain. Stability is certainly not a word one immediately associates with that party.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr Geraldine Rice,