Executive must be formed to deal with Cost of Living crisis

1 Jun 2022

The Chief Executive of the Community Foundation NI has stated that an Executive must be formed and an urgent cross departmental approach implemented to deal with the current cost of living crisis.

Speaking following a meeting with the Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey, which saw the reconvening of the Emergencies Leadership Group, the CEO of the Community Foundation, Roisin Wood said:

“It is very clear that we are in a cost of living crisis and that we need to see an urgent response to very real challenges that people in our communities are facing on a daily basis. We are in unprecedented times with ever increasing costs in terms of fuel prices, energy prices, food prices and threats to frontline services.

“I welcome the opportunity to meet with the Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey, to put forward our concerns. These concerns are reflective of the groups we work and what are telling us about the challenges they are encountering.

“The Community Foundation NI supports a wide range of groups who are working to provide services for those in need. For our part we will be releasing a new fund in the coming weeks aimed at addressing poverty for groups working with older people. We will also be examining how we can further impact on this crisis elsewhere through a partnership approach.

“Currently there is over £400m that can be released if an Executive is formed which can be used to ease the current pressures. The formation of an Executive would also see the ability to bring forward an Anti Poverty Strategy to help deal with this growing crisis.

“There is a huge imperative for an Executive to be formed now with an urgent cross departmental approach being a primary focus. Every day that passes more and more people will be struggling to make ends meet. That is just not good enough.”