NI Can't Wait gathering calls on Government to reverse funding cuts

Charities and community organisations across Northern Ireland, including Action Mental Health which serves the Newry and Mourne area, are urging the public to attend a gathering in Derry on 5 March to demand the UK Government reverses planned cuts to funding that supports some of the most vulnerable people in society.

The NI Can't Wait gathering will take place in Guildhall Square, Derry on Thursday 5 March between 1pm and 2pm. It has been organised in response to the planned replacement of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) with the Local Growth Fund on 1 April 2026, a change first announced in December 2025 that will result in a 64% cut to programmes directly tackling economic inactivity across Northern Ireland.

In practical terms, annual funding will fall from £25m to £9.2m, a reduction driven by an imposed 70% capital/30% revenue split that organisers say does not adequately reflect Northern Ireland's needs. Those warning of the consequences say the change will affect people with disabilities, carers, women, those with long-term health conditions and young people not in education, employment or training.

David Babington, Chief Executive of Action Mental Health, one of the charities affected, said the cuts would directly impact 11,000 supported people and their families, with an estimated 400 or more skilled jobs unnecessarily at risk. He warned that if left unaddressed, the decision would "remove support, put skilled VCS jobs at risk, collapse trusted services across Northern Ireland, and increase pressure on key public services."

Mr Babington added that the gathering "invites community organisations, charities, and the public to come along and show their support, standing together against cuts, protecting jobs and supporting the most vulnerable in society."

The event is supported by Action Mental Health, the Northern Ireland Union for Supported Employment (NIUSE) and People Before Profit. Action Mental Health, which has been providing services across Northern Ireland since 1963, operates in multiple locations including Newry and Mourne.

Further information on the NI Can't Wait campaign is available at amh.org.uk/ni-cant-wait.