SDLP South Belfast MP Claire Hanna has said that community and voluntary organisations in Northern Ireland cannot afford to miss out on cost of living funding.
It comes after the UK government this week launched a £76m Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund in England.
The fund means that voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in England can apply for grants of up to £75,000 for critical frontline services.
Northern Ireland is to receive a Barnett consequential as a result of the funding.
Claire Hanna MP said:
“Community and voluntary organisations are playing a critical role in helping people with the cost of living crisis. My office is making an increasing amount of referrals to food banks and charities that help with fuel costs, yet these organisations are facing funding difficulties while trying to cope with increasing demand.
“The community, voluntary and charity sector has faced a consistent string of blows over the past few years via the loss of EU funding, a pandemic, an enforced austere budget and cuts and now they are unable to access support that other organisations in England will get because of the lack of an Executive.
“We are facing a gruelling autumn and winter with many people more people being sucked into a poverty cycle who will in the absence of any meaningful government support turn to charities and community and voluntary organisations. It is hard to see how that sector will be able to meet the rising challenge.
“I am calling on the Secretary of State to stop this money being swallowed up by serving the Stormont overspend and to allow it to be used as originally intended. This funding should be ringfenced and the national lottery delivery partner in the scheme instructed to work with officials in the Department of Communities to ensure that the sector here does not miss out.”
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