29 March 2026
The SDLP has slammed the Executive for failing in their role to resolve the cliff edge facing the Local Growth Fund this week, which could see 11,000 people lose access to vital services and result in 400 job losses.
SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP said:
“This situation was entirely foreseeable. Yet instead of planning ahead and putting protections in place, we are seeing last-minute panic, blame-shifting and a refusal to take responsibility. That will do nothing for the people losing their jobs or those who rely on these vital services. It begs the question: what has the Executive been doing to support those now facing the consequences?
“This is part of a wider pattern of failure, with ordinary people paying the price. Families of children with special educational needs have been left scrambling for summer scheme places, and there has been chaos and confusion over money allocated for home heating oil support that the Executive did not even seem to be aware of. Major projects like the A5, Casement Park and Lough Neagh remain stuck in uncertainty.
“Issue after issue, we see the same pattern: delay, confusion and a failure to deliver.
“We do need better funding from the UK Government, and I have repeatedly made that case. But blame is not a strategy and it will not put money in people’s pockets - devolution gives local ministers the power to protect people locally from detached UK ministers.
“When European funding was replaced by the Shared Prosperity Fund, the Executive effectively saved around £30 million, yet instead of using that funding to protect services like the Local Growth Fund, they have never been clear about where it went.
“The Executive had time to act. They should have identified alternative funding, provided clarity and worked to mitigate the worst impacts. Instead, organisations have been left in limbo and workers are facing real uncertainty.
“Almost 20 years of Sinn Féin and the DUP failing to work together is taking us backwards. As the Official Opposition, the SDLP will continue to hold the Executive accountable for its promises.
“This is a failure of leadership. People deserve better, and they need urgent action now to protect jobs, sustain services and provide clarity."