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Associations to demonstrate outside Stormont
Housing associations are set to demonstrate outside Stormont in favour of a 10% increase in Supporting People funding, as political parties thrash out a programme for government.
Following the Northern Ireland Assembly elections last week, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) remains the largest party with 38 seats. Sinn Fein has 28 seats, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) has 12, and the Alliance Party eight.
Negotiations began today between the parties on a programme for government for the Northern Ireland Executive. An executive will then be formed and government ministers will be decided on. None of the parties mentioned Supporting People funding in their manifestos apart from the Green Party, which pledged to protect the Supporting People budget. The Green Party won two seats.
On Wednesday, the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA) will picket Stormont, calling for a minimum 10% increase in Supporting People funding.
Housing associations have concerns about the Northern Ireland Executive’s nine-year freeze on Supporting People project funding.
Cameron Watt, chief executive of NIFHA, said: “The freeze on project funding is no longer sustainable; with new cost like National Living Wage, there’s just no way providers can continue to absorb their costs.”
The funding, about £74m per year, provides housing support services for around 17,000 people.
Mr Watt also said NIFHA would be calling for a “game changer” in the supply of land for housing associations, and priority access to public sector sites.
He added that the government should implement a “radical” deregulation drive for housing associations similar to that in England, where the government has relaxed regulation over areas such as stock disposals and mergers.
His comments came ahead of a review by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to decide whether housing association in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are public or private sector bodies.
AT A GLANCE: The housing policies of the main parties in Northern Ireland
DUP
Build 8,000 social and affordable housing units by 2020
Create £1bn Northern Ireland Investment Fund to help finance projects such as social housing
Transform the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to a strategic housing body and transfer its stock
Give NIHE more powers to tackle empty homes
Sinn Fein
Build a minimum of 10,000 new social and affordable homes over the next five years
Develop and implement an anti-poverty strategy, based on objective need
Provide £500 million to help mitigate Tory welfare cuts
SDLP
Build 3,000 social homes every year
Impose a statutory duty on social landlords to promote and develop ‘shared housing’ (mixed community social housing schemes)
Develop a new Green Investment Deal to retrofit housing
Introduce a new homelessness strategy, aimed at helping those who are homeless and protecting those at risk of homelessness
UUP
Build 10,000 new social and affordable homes by 2021
Support the transfer of properties from the NIHE to housing associations
Place duty to prevent homelessness on statutory services such as the NHS and prisons
Allow the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to borrow against its assets to access private finance
