People from across West Tyrone unable to use Spend Local cards

A NUMBER of people from across West Tyrone were unable to use or gain access to their ‘Spend Local’ cards before the scheme closed.

West Tyrone MLA, Daniel McCrossan, has written to the Economy Minister Gordon Lyons, asking for action to address the grievances of West Tyrone residents who didn’t get or couldn’t use their Spend Local Cards

40 residents from across the constituency have contacted Mr McCrossan since the scheme closed on Sunday night.

The SDLP MLA said, “I wanted to raise with the Minister directly the concerns raised with me and my office, and supply names and details so he could investigate what went wrong. If I can find 40 names in 24 hours, there could be thousands affected by this.

“The majority who contacted me are telling me they didn’t receive their card. In many cases, these were constituents who had problems getting verified, or their National Insurance number had been used, or there were issues with delivery from the Post Office or DHL.

“Some residents also raised the issues around activation and the difficulty getting through to the helpline, especially as the deadline approached. Many local residents received their  cards very late, some on the Friday or Saturday before the deadline.

“I have urged the Minister to come up with a plan to deal with the issues these constituents have raised with me. Many feel it is unfair they have not been able to get their £100 and support local businesses. I hope the Minister can act to address their legitimate grievances.”