00:01, 30 Jun 2025<\/p>\n
![\"Stormont](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_Spring-weather-Mar-31st-2025.jpg\")
Stormont stock image(Image: Rebecca Black\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n
Dozens of prominent individuals and organisations from across civic society have signed a letter criticising Stormont<\/a>\u2019s plan to target poverty.<\/p>\n The signatories said they are \u201cdismayed and frustrated\u201d at the Executive<\/a>\u2019s Anti-Poverty Strategy 2025-35.<\/p>\n The letter has been signed by organisations, charities, community groups, campaigners, unions, academics and religious representatives.<\/p>\n READ MORE: New housing waiting list figures reveal a system under strain<\/a>READ MORE: MLA demands Minister appear before Assembly to address SEN school places crisis<\/a><\/p>\n The open letter, published on Monday, said the strategy does not meet the criteria of a \u201creasonable strategy\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt fails to fulfil what oversight bodies, including the NI Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee, outline as the basic elements of any strategy,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe NI Audit Office said that \u2018an integrated cross-departmental anti-poverty strategy (should) ensure that the focus is on a number of properly defined and more specific actions\u201d and \u201cit should include an action plan containing clearly defined indicators and targets aimed at quantifying and reducing poverty\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Public Accounts Committee said that there is a \u2018clear need for targets and outcomes that are quantitative, qualitative and time-bound to properly measure performance and demonstrate the impact of strategic actions\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIt also considered that \u2018a strategy which does not have specific resources devoted to it is never going to be as effective as it could be\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cWe acknowledge that the (Communities) Minister (Gordon Lyons) has indicated that an action plan with targets and specific actions will follow at a later, unspecified date, but every expert, every oversight body, is clear that a strategy must include measurable and time-bound targets within or alongside the strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n They urged the minister to note research published by the Independent Expert Advisory Panel (2020), the Anti-Poverty Strategy Co-Design Group (2022), the Welfare Reform Mitigation Review (2021) and the Discretionary Support Review (2022).<\/p>\n They said the research provides clear evidence of the interventions that work to tackle poverty.<\/p>\n The letter added: \u201cWe are committed to working with you in good faith to eradicate poverty in Northern Ireland, and therefore, we are asking the NI Executive to withdraw their support of the draft anti-poverty strategy, on the basis that it is more harmful to have a strategy that will not address poverty than no strategy at all.<\/p>\n \u201cOur children, families and communities \u2013 your constituents \u2013 deserve better.\u201d<\/p>\n Launching the strategy earlier this month, Mr Lyons described it as being based on three pillars of minimising risks of falling into poverty, minimising the impact of poverty on people\u2019s lives and working to help people get out of poverty.<\/p>\n Figures indicated that around 18% of people in Northern Ireland live in relative poverty, and 15% live in absolute poverty, with 25% of children in relative poverty and 21% of children in absolute poverty.<\/p>\n The strategic commitments from across departments include continuing the Extended Schools Programme, working with partners to scope out an NI Debt Relief Scheme, a commitment to develop an Executive Disability Strategy and a Fuel Poverty Strategy.<\/p>\n Speaking in the Assembly, Mr Lyons described a \u201clegacy of delay\u201d in taking forward an anti-poverty strategy.<\/p>\n For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage <\/strong>here<\/a> and sign up to our politics newsletter<\/a> here.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The signatories said they are \u201cdismayed and frustrated\u201d Cate McCurry Press Association 00:01, 30 Jun 2025 Stormont 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