15 May 2025

SDLP West Belfast councillor Paul Doherty has said that the Executive’s anti-poverty strategy must deliver for communities in need of help.

It has been reported the draft strategy has been signed off at an Executive meeting on Thursday.

An anti-poverty strategy was first committed to 18 years ago.

Councillor Doherty said:

“Nearly two decades on from the agreement of the need for an anti-poverty strategy for the North and after years of legal wrangling we finally have a draft stratey agreed today. In the interim poverty has only got worse for communities here, with families finding it harder and harder to keep their heads above water.

“While this progress is welcome, a draft strategy without the measures needed to tackle poverty or the funding to do so will be meaningless. People struggling to put food on the table, keep the electric and heat switched on and afford basic necessities need assurances it will deal with the issues they are facing. This draft will now go out to consultation and that process could take months, people are suffering now and I would urge the Communities Minister and the Executive to make interventions to address poverty now in the interim.

“We need this strategy to finally join the dots across all Stormont departments, from housing and health to education, jobs, and welfare to ensure a coordinated approach that leaves no one behind. It must be driven by clear targets, full accountability, and a commitment to invest in long-term change, not short-term fixes.

“Working on the ground I see the impact poverty has on people every day. It limits their potential, damages their health and keeps families trapped in a cycle that is difficult to break from. It is shameful that the Executive has not done more to tackle poverty over the past few decades and this strategy needs to mark a turning point where we address the underlying causes of poverty and ensure that everyone who lives here is afforded dignity and support.”