Debate contribution: Voluntary and Community Sector Funding

Debate contribution by Ms Claire Sugden on 5 May 2026.

MLA

Ms Claire Sugden

Party at the time

Independent

Date

5 May 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Voluntary and Community Sector Funding

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5525097

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on the motion, which is ultimately about the organisations that people turn to when everything else has failed them. Across Northern Ireland, the community and voluntary sector is not an add-on or complementary to public services; it often is the service. It is the organisation that answers the phone, opens the door and steps in when statutory provision cannot or does not. We all know that. We see it in our constituency offices. People are supported with problems to do with mental health, addiction, poverty, isolation and employability, often long before the state even recognises that there is a problem. Despite that, however, the sector finds itself once again in a position of uncertainty, instability and, in some cases, collapse. The impact of the local growth fund and the failure to properly replace previous European funding is real. The reduced funding and the way in which it has been structured, particularly the heavy focus on capital rather than revenue, do not reflect how the sector operates. The organisations in the sector are people-based. They require staff, continuity and relationships. The services cannot be delivered through capital spend alone. There is a clear responsibility on the UK Government. Decisions that have been taken do not reflect the needs of Northern Ireland. That has a direct and damaging impact on organisations that are delivering front-line support. That cannot be ignored and should be challenged more robustly. However, the Executive have known for some time that changes to funding were coming. The sector has been raising concerns consistently, yet here we are, in a position in which organisations are scaling back services, laying off staff and, in some cases, facing closure. The Member for North Belfast said that, in the 10 years in which we have been in the Chamber, nothing has changed. That does not begin and end with the local growth fund; it begins with the responsibility that the Executive have shirked. The issue speaks to a lack of foresight and planning. It also speaks to a broader issue about how the sector is valued in government decision-making. If we are honest, when budgets are tight, the sector is often treated as expendable. It is seen as the easiest place in which to reduce funding. That makes no sense, because the community and voluntary sector is propping up government in areas in which it fails. The Government will feel it when the sector fails, because it delivers some of the best value for money in our entire system. It prevents problems from escalating, supports people before they reach crisis and reduces pressure on our health service, justice system and social services. It is not perfect, but it is not government; it is voluntary. It cannot afford to be perfect. When the sector is not there, those pressures will not disappear; they will move elsewhere at greater cost to the Executive and the UK Government. I find it difficult to accept that, in the face of all that, the community and voluntary sector does not appear to be front and centre in our Programme for Government. Ironically, it talks about how it will support other priorities in the Programme for Government, but it is not a priority on its own. The Government's plans for the future are at risk because they will not be able to rely on the community and voluntary sector, which is going to fail. I appreciate that the Executive do not have the required resources. I expect the Finance Minister to reiterate that, as the Executive have done throughout the mandate, but the Executive must make the strongest possible case for the sector. I appreciate that others have said that that is what the Executive have been doing, but they need to advocate clearly, consistently and urgently for funding that reflects the level of need here. If the remit sits with the UK Government, the Executive, as representatives of Northern Ireland, need to make that case. We are not seeing the strength or urgency required. It is fortunate that we are having the debate today, but, as other Members have mentioned, the motion is non-binding and has come not from the Executive but from the Opposition. What is at stake is real: services, jobs and people. We know from evidence that, without continued funding, organisations will close, staff will be lost and the people most affected will be those already facing the greatest challenges. The section 75 groups will feel it the most. That is the consequence of getting it wrong. It is about recognising that there are failures at multiple levels. The UK Government have questions to answer, but let us not forget that the Executive do as well, because they have been responsible for the issue for many years, not just in recent years, when the funding was cut.

The UK Government must revisit their approach to funding, but the Executive need to show greater leadership, foresight and prioritisation because, if we continue on this current path, we will not just see a funding gap but a support gap. That is something that many of our constituents cannot afford, and it is something that the Executive cannot afford, as we hear regularly.

872 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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