Cllr Wilson voices concern over potential increased Council fuel spending due to conflict

Causeway Coast and Glens Council has warned of increased fuel spending due to the US/Israel-Iran war.

During April’s Environmental Services Committee meeting, DUP Councillor Darryl Wilson asked Council’s Director of Environmental Services, Aidan McPeake, if increased fuel prices as a result of the ongoing conflict would impact on Council’s fuel spend over the financial year.

Councillor Wilson expressed concern that increased diesel prices, adieu to the ongoing US/Israel-Iran war could lead to increased council expenditure. CREDIT PIXABAY

placeholder image — Councillor Wilson expressed concern that increased diesel prices, adieu to the ongoing US/Israel-Iran war could lead to increased council expenditure. CREDIT PIXABAY

“According to varying reports diesel has went up somewhere between 31 and 38%,” Cllr Wilson noted. “I would assume we go through a gallon or two in a week [so] how is the current vast increase going to impact us and our budgets?"

Agreeing to bring figures back to committee, Mr McPeake said: “There are RCVs (refuse collection vehicles) who are driving at four miles to the gallon or thereabouts, so we go through quite a lot. We set the rates back in February before any of this took place, so at that stage we were anticipating a like-for-like cost.”