Newry and Armagh Workers Party representative Nicola Grant has called the actions of the Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Council irresponsible and inappropriate in giving Christmas hampers to the great, the good, and those in highly paid employment across Northern Ireland and further afield.

Grant stated: "Councillors were seemingly unaware of these gifts costing the council over £10,000 and no one knows who made the decision.#

"As rates are rising for businesses and residents, and people are struggling to make ends meet on a daily basis, to hear the council has sent gifts to those earning hundreds of thousands of pounds per year, is yet another slap in the face for rate payers.

"Many people in the council catchment area are will have had to go into debt to provide even the essentials for Christmas so their families could have a Christmas dinner and a gift.

"This shameful and extravagant expenditure on the part of the council is outrageous and those who made the decision must be held accountable."

The Workers Party representative continued: "There now must be an audit of all councils to learn if other councils across Northern Ireland have been engaged in similar activities, there must be clear instructions to all councils to stop these activities. She added if the Northern Ireland Secretary of State and the head of the civil service received such gifts why it was not at once reported as inappropriate and action taken to ensure there would be no further waste of ratepayer's money."

Nicola Grant concluded by asking are those who run our public sector totally oblivious to the cost of living crisis that ratepayers face and struggles they have living from pay day to pay day to feed and buy clothes from their children, “or do they just not care” this is gut wrenching news about such a cavalier attitude some council officials have towards the public sector purse.