The Department announced a 14 per cent cut in its day-to-day spending compared to last year, with proposals to turn off streetlights and cut public transport in order to help meet the deficit.

“The budget envelope delivered for DFI falls well short of what is needed and will merely result in a bigger bill in the long term as infrastructure is left to crumble,” said North Down MLA Mr Muir.

“Safe and sustainable infrastructure is vital for the Northern Ireland economy and people to thrive but yet we face a future where key infrastructure will be left wither on the vine.  

“It fathoms belief the ability to walk, run, cycle and move about with the security of street lighting is under threat, alongside the critical supply of water and waste water services. Just over a year after the passage of the Climate Change Act, it is a shocking indictment of the paralysis affecting government that we look likely to abandon climate change commitments at the first hurdle, with funding for bus, rail, community transport and active travel provision facing the guillotine.

“Northern Ireland cannot wait a day longer before restoration of the Executive, which would be capable of making the collective case for a funding package to get us off the cycle of cuts. Every day lost without Stormont means more damage inflicted upon key public services we all rely upon.”