DC&SDC: DfC urged to increase funding to Derry advice providers

The Department for Communities (DfC) needs to increase funding to advice providers in the Derry City and Strabane council area.
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That was the message issued loud and clear by members of the council’s Health and Community Committee as they agreed to extend funding allocations to its current advice providers, Dove House, Advice North West and the Resource Centre, for a further three months until June 30, 2022.

Councillor Rory Farrell was adamant that more financial support was required from the Department.

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He said: “It is clear that our fantastic advice providers have an increase in contacts, an increase in workload and they have an increase in pressure and there has been no discernable increase in funding or support from the Department for Communities. It is my understanding that there’s been no increase for generalist advice services in the last seven years.”

Rory FarrellRory Farrell
Rory Farrell

Committee members were informed that a meeting will be requested with senior DfC officials and the Advice Panel to discuss the current advice provision allocations and specifically the failure to provide any additional funding towards Generalist Advice provision.

The SDLP elected representative continued: “When we look at the contribution from DfC it is 55%. I don’t think that is enough. I think they should be funding more so I welcome the future engagement with DfC because realistically they should be contributing more.

“We have massive inflation. We have a soaring cost of living. The pandemic is still here. People are still trying to get to grips with Universal Credit and the upshot of that is there is more pressure on our advice providers so it needs to be properly funded and the people with the deep pockets are the Department.”

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Councillor Sandra Duffy supported the request for a meeting with officials from the Department for Communities adding: “Our advice services have proven in terms of the volume and quality of the work they are involved in particularly over the pandemic when they stepped up and went over and above.”

Stating that the agreed funding would give the council’s advice providers who play a crucial role ‘some security’, People Before Profit Councillor Shaun Harkin said: “The funding from the DfC has been static from 2015.

“In reality it’s been seven years of cuts. If workers get paid the same amount every year and there’s rising inflation every year, that’s a pay cut. It’s the same for all our advice providers.

“We can't be in the same situation as a council of just accepting that our council should come up with more funding. We have to go and make the case to the DfC that advice provision is vital and our providers are doing a fantastic job.

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“They are doing more work, they have rising costs, and they need to raise the amount they are funding for the district significantly. This needs to be a campaign of the council.

“If there are funds available obviously we will be open to making sure our advice services are properly funded but the central government should have primary responsibility for providing good advice services here in our district.”

Agreeing, DUP Alderman Maurice Devenney added: “I do believe there is a case for the Department for Communities to raise the amount of money they receive. The advice providers have been a vital tool over the last two years providing advice for many people.”

Members approved the extension of funding allocations for generalist advice for an additional three months based on the allocations provided for 2021/22, subject to confirmation of funding from Department for Communities as follows: Advice North West - £132,293.50, Dove House - £35,881.50 and the Resource Centre - £15,027.75.

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They also approved the extension of the Tribunals/Appeals programme for an additional 3 months with allocations as follows: Advice North West - £11,385, Dove House - £7,589.75 and the Resource Centre - £3,794.75.

The committee also approved the allocation of the Welfare Reform Mitigations Advice Funding for an additional three months as follows: Advice North West - £13,193.06, the Resource Centre - £7,441 and Dove House - £7,441.