New funding secured for COVID community support in Derry & Strabane

Derry & Strabane’s Health and Community Committee have approved the allocation of new funding to enable the delivery of a range of community support measures in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
By Brendan McDaid
Published 15th Sep 2020, 09:33 BST
The Mayor Councillor Brian Tierney, pictured back in June with members of the Foyleside Community Covid-19 response team. From left are Adrian Kelly, Mark Doherty and Min McCann. Missing team members are Anne-Marie Bell and Darren O’Reilly. 0620-2033MT.The Mayor Councillor Brian Tierney, pictured back in June with members of the Foyleside Community Covid-19 response team. From left are Adrian Kelly, Mark Doherty and Min McCann. Missing team members are Anne-Marie Bell and Darren O’Reilly. 0620-2033MT.
The Mayor Councillor Brian Tierney, pictured back in June with members of the Foyleside Community Covid-19 response team. From left are Adrian Kelly, Mark Doherty and Min McCann. Missing team members are Anne-Marie Bell and Darren O’Reilly. 0620-2033MT.

The Committee received an update at its monthly meeting about a tranche of new funding provisions announced by the Communities Minister Caral Ní Chuilín for local Councils, to assist them in their efforts to support community organisations in their ongoing work to help those most in need.

The funding includes £1.75m in additional contribution to the COVID-19 Community Support Fund, to be distributed through local Councils to grassroots voluntary and community sector groups.

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It also includes a further £750,000 for the COVID-19 Access to Food Fund to help shape any future emergency response; and £700,000 towards the COVID-19 Financial Inclusion Fund to assist those adversely impacted by the economic fallout of the pandemic.

Of the overall pot, Council has been provided with a Letter of Offer for £280,950 for the Second Tranche of the COVID-19 Community Support Fund.

The allocations to each Council area for the COVID 19 Financial Inclusion Fund and the COVID-19 Access to Food Programme are yet to be announced.

At the meeting Councillors praised the approach to the crisis taken by Council and its partners including local community groups, who played such a vital role in coordinating and delivering the community response to the COVID-19 emergency.

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They also stressed the importance of continuing to support these groups as they work on their community recovery plans and evaluate the approaches taken to date.

A total of £20,500 from the second round of the COVID-19 Community Support has been set aside to provide sufficient finance to fund all of the community centre venues for the period January 2021 to March 2021.

An allocation of £101,253.74 was also agreed to fund all Community Support Fund applications scoring over the threshold.

An allocation of £20,000 will be issued to each of the eight Local Growth Partnerships to prepare and deliver COVID-19 Recovery Plans.

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Speaking after the meeting Chair of the Health and Community Committee Alderman Andrew McKane welcomed the funding news.

“I am delighted to see this further funding announcement of support from the Department,” he said, adding:

“Significant resources have been channelled into the community response to COVID-19 by local Councils, and unfortunately it’s likely there will continue to be significant demand for support in the coming months.

“In order to sustain the level of assistance for grassroots groups to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in local communities we will have to continue this momentum for some time to come.

“We will continue to work closely with all our partners and the Department to source, review and deliver support where it’s most needed.”

Related topics:Covid-19CouncilDerry