Rally on cost of living at Leinster House to coincide with appointment of new Taoiseach

The Cost of Living Coalition will hold a rally outside the gates of Leinster House on Saturday to coincide with the election of a new Taoiseach.

The Coalition held a photocall outside Leinster House on Tuesday announcing details of Saturday’s event, which intends to put pressure on the Government to support people most affected by the cost of living.

The Coalition comprises most Opposition parties, trade unions, charities and other community groups.

Speaking at the gates of Leinster House, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said the rally was being held because there was a change at the head of Government but no sign of any changes in Government policy.

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“If we continue to follow the same pattern, particularly with a lack of housing, we won’t get a change in terms of affordability, whether people are renting or buying,” she said.

“That’s one of the big issues that’s feeding into the cost of living and it’s having consequences right across society, whether it’s education, healthcare or other areas.

“We are seeing people get large heating bills this week with the cold spell and that has not helped either. Those bills won’t hit until the new year and we are seeing that people are already worried about that.

“Some of the changes made in the Budget were good but the difficulty is they are not structural changes and there are particular groups, for example people with disabilities, where there are known additional costs.”