Executive Statement on Local Growth Fund
Date published:
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 Steve Reed, 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 £45.5m 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.
Notes to editors:
Notes to editors:
- Media enquiries to The Executive Office Press Office: press.office@executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk