All parties of the Executive are calling for urgent changes to
the Local Growth Fund to prioritise people and vital
services in Northern Ireland.
At our Executive meeting on Thursday (22nd January), we discussed
the very grave situation now facing the Community and
Voluntary Sector as a consequence of decisions taken by UKG
in relation to the delivery of the Local Growth Fund.
We have written to , the Secretary of State for
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government,
urging him, as a matter of urgency, to address the current
funding profile of the Local Growth Fund with a
more favourable Resource allocation.
We recognise the critical role of the Community and Voluntary
Sector in Northern Ireland. It is an integral part of our economy
and community life.
In the June 2025 Spending Review, a total of £45.5million per
year for 3 years was allocated to the Local Growth Fund with
a commitment that the NIO would work in partnership with
MHCLG and the Executive to develop a programme.
Despite promises of partnership working to develop a fund that
would address local needs, detail on how the Local Growth
Fund would be delivered were only provided towards the end
of last year which was much too late. The much-reduced
quantum of the Local Growth Fund will have a significant and
detrimental impact on achieving local growth, and the
Capital/Revenue split of this fund makes matters much worse.
Reducing the amount of revenue available will be devastating for
the delivery of interventions to promote local growth here.
The Community and Voluntary Sector have spelt this out clearly.
It will decimate vital services which deliver economic growth and
increased productivity.
We believe there is still time to protect the Community and
Voluntary Sector and ensure that the highly valued
organisations working in this sector continue to deliver
interventions that support economic growth in the future.
With one voice, we are urging the Minister to rectify the profile
of the Local Growth Fund here with a more favourable Resource
allocation immediately.
We stand ready to engage constructively to achieve this outcome.
