New money should be used to develop vital services

news release

11 August 2003 – For Immediate Use

NICVA has called on the government to make sure that new funds coming from the Treasury are used to develop services provided by voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland. An extra £4.2 million is available for Northern Ireland as a result of the £125 million ‘Futurebuilders’ fund, announced by the Treasury to help create a level playing field for the voluntary and community sector to deliver public services.

NICVA Chief Executive, Seamus McAleavey, explained: “It has been confirmed to us that £4.2 million will be added to the Northern Ireland budget as our share of the money the Treasury is making available. In England, Scotland and Wales, the money is being used for the purpose intended which is to develop the capacity within the voluntary and community sector to bid for and provide vital public services. While we fully support the principle that a devolved government in Northern Ireland should make its own spending decisions, we are calling on the Secretary of State to ensure that this money is used for the specific purpose outlined by the Treasury" .

Mr McAleavey continued: “As last year’s Treasury report identified, voluntary and community organisations are playing an increasing role in service delivery and this is something that the UK government wants to encourage. Voluntary and community organisations are often more flexible, can work closer to the ground in delivering services and involve the services users in determining exactly what is needed. However, they are at a disadvantage compared to both the public and private sectors since they have no major capital base and their hand-to-mouth funding makes it extremely difficult to retain expert staff. This money, if used properly, could make a real difference to how some services are provided in Northern Ireland .”

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For further information please contact:

Frances McCandless 028 9087 7777 (w)

Director of Policy, NICVA 07721 746804 (mbl)

Notes to Editors

1. The Futurebuilders fund was announced as a result of the Treasury report The Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Service Delivery: A Cross Cutting Review.

2. The focus of Futurebuilders is closely linked to the government's commitment to deliver world-class public services. Futurebuilders will be directed to voluntary and community organisations, or partnerships of organisations, directly involved in delivering key public services in:

• health and social care
• crime and social cohesion
• education and learning
• support for children and young people.

Futurebuilders is for:

• existing service delivery organisations that want to do more
• organisations new to service delivery
• existing and new service providers that want to deliver services in a different way.

3. For further information on Futurebuilders see

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spending_review/spend_ccr/spend_ccr_voluntary/spend_ccr_futurebuildersfaqs.cfm