'Anxiety and upset' over funding cliff-edge this week

There is widespread "anxiety and upset" among voluntary and community sector staff who face losing their jobs when a funding cliff-edge comes into effect this week, the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (Nicva) has said. Some 64 organisations are facing the prospect of job losses when the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is replaced by the Local Growth Fund on 1 April. The UKSPF replaced EU funding which ceased due to Brexit. The Local Growth Fund will see day-to-day funding available to groups in NI drop from £25m per year to just over £9m. Nicva said that the change will lead to a "dismantling of community-level expertise" across Northern Ireland that will not be rebuilt. The Local Growth Fund is being introduced by Westminster. The scheme is being overseen by the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government and brings a crucial change to how the funding is designated. The Shared Prosperity Fund was three quarters resource funding, but the Local Growth Fund is one third resource funding with the bulk going towards capital instead, having a direct impact on jobs. Celine McStravick, chief executive of Nicva, said the proposed shift would take a "sledgehamme