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The Consumer Council held a successful workshop in Belfast on Friday 21 January to help advice workers, family workers and adult education tutors understand the importance of having a good credit report and provide tips on how to improve your credit history.

Thousands of consumers across Northern Ireland have been hit hard by the water
crisis over the Christmas and New Year period. Many homes and businesses have been let down by NI Water’s response; left without mains water for days; had water rationing and been frustrated by the accuracy or lack of information available.

Antoinette McKeown, Chief Executive at the Consumer Council said: “During the water crisis, consumers were failed by a disjointed approach from NI Water, who did not instigate a strategic, cross-agency emergency plan. Now the two-part review itself is set(1) to be carried out in a similar disjointed method. The final composite report will consist of two reports; the Regulator’s report into the failings of NI Water and the two appointee’s report into the broader governance issues and DRD. The Consumer Council retains its position as stated yesterday(2), that the Executive should appoint one independent person, whom it believes has the experience and objectivity to lead and set the framework of the review to include all the issues and at every level within NI Water, its stakeholders, DRD and the Executive”.

The Consumer Council has called for the NI Executive’s inquiry into the NI Water crisis to be truly independent and comprehensive in the wake of Laurence MacKenzie’s offer to resign.

As unleaded nears £1.30 a litre(1) and diesel is already over £1.30 a litre in many areas, the Consumer Council has reiterated its call for consultation on the possible introduction of a ‘Fuel Price Stabiliser'(2) to cushion future petrol prices against large shifts in the price of oil – as committed to in the Conservative election campaign.