Budget 2010: Setting Northern Ireland’s Public Expenditure Plans for the next four years

Northern Ireland will not receive its final budget settlement until Chancellor Osborne publishes the outcome of the English Spending Review on 20 October 2010.  Using the Barnett Formula Northern Ireland will receive its allocation based on what is to be spent in England.  The Chancellor allocates a Block Grant to the Northern Ireland Executive and it is up to our Ministers to set their own priorities.  There is no obligation to follow English spending patterns.  That is the point of having devolution.

Northern Ireland’s Finance Minister Sammy Wilson will publish a draft Budget in October for consultation.  It is NICVA’s view though that the general strategic direction will be set by then. 

The key time to influence these big decisions will be over the next three months.

NICVA believes there should be an informed debate and recognises that the best outcome, in what are very bad circumstances, is for an agreed set of priorities by the NI Executive across all Departments.

We have real concerns that voluntary and community organisations that deliver public services could be cut unfairly by poor prioritisation and not enough consideration of efficiency and effectiveness issues.  NICVA is meeting Departments and will invite each of them to Spending Review meetings with our sector over the summer.

The next three months are important and voluntary and community organisations need to be active. 

We need evidence of value for money services, ideas on collaboration and producing better services with less resource.

If you have any comments or documents you think are useful to share please do below.  If you would rather share something in private please email seamus.mcaleavey@nicva.org