Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer has highlighted a number of issues, which he believes, has created a perfect storm for rural communities in Northern Ireland.
These include: Brexit; the failure to replace lost EU funding; the spiralling cost of living; and a non-functioning Stormont Executive. The latter point is particularly contentious.
Apart from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), all of the north’s other political parties point to the moth balling of the executive as the direct reason for Northern Ireland being unable to access cost-of-living support funding, previously made available by Westminster.
McAleer was speaking after a series of engagements with representatives of the rural community sector in the north.
He said: “Just as people have started to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, they have been hit with the spiralling costs of living triggered by the fallout of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and compounded by the DUP refusal to form an executive which could help us mitigate the crisis locally.
“The failure to form an executive and agree a budget also makes it impossible for rural groups to plan ahead as they are unsure if funding will be available to continue delivering their services to some of the most deprived and isolated people.”
Brexit and rural communities
According to McAleer, all of this is happening in the shadow of Brexit, which he claims has deprived the north of millions of pounds of EU funding, despite the British government’s pledge that it would match the lost EU funds.
“To add insult to injury, the British government [is] administering the UK Community Renewal Fund over the heads of local councils, LEADER groups and government departments, courtesy of the UK Internal Markets Act 2020 which gives them the power to do so,” McAleer continued.
“This is not the situation in Wales or Scotland where local authorities take the lead on the Community Renewal Fund, but here in the north, Westminster manages the fund centrally with no involvement of local representatives or communities.
“This is unfair, undemocratic and runs completely against the principle of community-led local development which has been a hallmark of the Rural Development Programme across the EU for decades.
“Rural communities in the north are experiencing a perfect storm generated by global issues and Brexit with the failure to form an executive making the situation even worse.
“The DUP needs to get around the table with the rest of the parties to provide much needed support to beleaguered communities.”