A renowned accountant called on the main political parties in the north to end political instability, provide a common vision for the region and provide “real leadership”.

And she denounced the suspension of offers of financial support from Invest NI, insisting that “it sends the message that Northern Ireland is not open for business”.

Maeve Hunt, president of the Chartered Accountants Ulster Society, addressing 400 guests at the organization’s annual dinner at Titanic Belfast, called for an executive to be formed immediately after the May 5 Assembly election “to end the terrible impact of political uncertainty and solve the real problems”. to business and society.

She said: “As things stand, with rising costs, supply chain disruption and a war in Europe, our executive is unable to present a vision for the future and an agreed budget for services to our people.

“The finance minister tells us that £300m of local services funding cannot be allocated. The lack of agreement on a three-year budget is disappointing and we are frustrated by the indecision.

“We are also angry that our devolved government has let us down yet again. Our ministers are not doing what we appointed them to do, which is to make timely decisions on our economy and on all sectors of our society, where the needs are crying out.

He added: “The longer political instability continues, the harder it is for local businesses to contribute to growth, create jobs and provide a better quality of life.

“The health crisis has changed the way we live and work. We now have the opportunity to rethink the way we do things. We have the opportunity to assess the place of our small region in the rest of the world.

“This is an opportunity to embrace the post-pandemic future, to reinvigorate our economy and realize the fantastic potential that exists here in Northern Ireland. But we must ensure that this opportunity does not pass us by.