Stormont’s new push to combat poverty in Northern Ireland has met with cutting criticism from essential participants. They contend the draft strategy is all talk and no action, failing to incorporate any specific plans or steps. Mark H Durkan, a prominent figure in the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), expressed his disappointment, stating that the executive should be “embarrassed to present a document that reads more like a list of vague hopes than a plan of action.”
The 28-page draft is the executive’s roadmap to ending poverty in the city over the next ten years. To many, it looks like something that is neither adequate nor appropriate to the needs. This guidance replaces the March court ruling Agenda 2030. The judgment found that Stormont’s Executive Committee had not met its statutory duty to implement an anti-poverty strategy.
Trása Canavan, chair of the Anti-Poverty Strategy Group and head of Barnardo’s NI, seconded these sentiments. She underscored that her coalition had established strong bottom lines for the text. This was to ensure that it truly addressed the problems of poverty head-on. Canavan stated that the current draft “is not fit for purpose,” raising “serious concerns that it will not make any difference to the lives of the children, families and communities” that organizations like hers support daily.
The draft strategy emphasizes that poverty is “not a problem which the executive can solve in isolation.” It calls for collaboration among community groups, businesses, councils, and voluntary organizations to effectively tackle the issue. Critics claim that the federal government has not yet fully committed to moving in this direction. For one, they note, there’s a big gap in funding to actually make this happen.
Durkan pointed out a significant flaw in the strategy regarding housing, stating, “This document acknowledges the direct link between housing and poverty and yet the Executive have confirmed they will only build half of the homes intended this year.” The failure to prioritize meeting our housing needs is the biggest problem. In fact, it has the most direct effect on reducing poverty.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons defended the draft strategy, asserting that the document had “drawn heavily on the work that has already been carried out.” And he walked us through how his department really took control of the design process. Most importantly, they listened to a wide range of voices before releasing the initial consultation. Nevertheless, opposition parties are unimpressed.
The SDLP remarked that it is “impossible to be anything other than deeply underwhelmed” by the current proposal. The strategy’s critics go beyond worrying about the Micromobility caveat. They argue that it does not go far enough to address the most pressing needs of low-income families, in particular the divisive two-child limit policy.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill conceded that it should “go further.” She categorically ruled out any splits within the Sinn Féin and the DUP over its substance.
The strategy aims to ensure that “everyone, including those in or at risk of poverty, has access to good quality, affordable and sustainable homes.” However, with insufficient new commitments and ongoing criticisms, many remain skeptical about its potential effectiveness in genuinely improving conditions for those facing poverty in Northern Ireland.
