Soaring costs biting home in Mullingar

The economic downturn is hitting home in Westmeath, with greater numbers of people finding it hard to meet their bills; greater numbers going onto the local authority housing list, and greater numbers turning to the Money Advice and Budgeting Service for advice, and to the St. Vincent de Paul for assistance.The latest unemployment figures show that the number on the live register in Westmeath have soared to a level not seen for years, having hit 4,973 at the end of May - 1,200 greater than the figure of May 2007.Of those, some some 2,535 are signing on in Mullingar, with a further 587 signing on in Castlepollard.Even though the downturn has led to a fall in house prices, houses are not selling well, and construction appears to have halted on several housing estates in both Mullingar itself, and in smaller estates being built in villages around the county. Food prices are soaring, and fuel costs have also reached new highs - and families are finding it increasingly difficult to pay their bills.At a meeting of the County Council"s Special Policy Committee on Housing and Social Affairs last Thursday evening, Councillors were told that more people are falling into arrears with their rent; and that there has been 'a signifcant increase' in the numbers seeking to go on the housing list.The Council"s Housing Officer, Ciaran Butler, also revealed that there was evidence that actual homelessness is on the increase locally.Meanwhile, St. Vincent de Paul area president, Enda Breslin, said that that the number of emergency calls which involve people lacking the bare essentials had risen significantly with people now needing help with fuel and food bills regularly.A spokesperson for MABS confirmed that the situation is bad.'We are seeing people with large loans, you know, be it personal loans, housing loans, mortgages...and a lot of failed businesses. We"d be coming from the perspective of the painter, the plumber, people who were paying their VAT, and now, unfortunately, the site has closed and the job has gone.'She says that a lot of people did not see this coming, and following on from the example of tv financial experts 'consolidated' their loans.Unfortunately, much of the 'consolidation' was done with sub-prime type lenders, who are charging anything from 13 to 22 per cent interest. Now, there are families who have difficulty not alone in meeting their utility bills, but in actually putting food on the table.'Even the headlines on the papers said it today: we"re in recession now. And while they say it"s not going to be as bad as the nineties, I don"t know: a lot of people are very worried,' the spokesperson said.Costly cars have also proving the source of problems for some families. 'Anything on hire purchase is a headache,' the spokesperson said.