AONTAS Statement on Voluntary and Community Sector Cuts in Northern Ireland 

AONTAS stands in solidarity with our members and partners in the Community and Voluntary Sector in Northern Ireland following the UK Government’s decision to impose funding cuts on the sector. These cuts will significantly impact essential adult and community education programmes across Northern Ireland. We would like to offer our support to NICVA as they coordinate efforts to advocate for a reversal of this decision.  

Recent decisions by the UK Government will see Northern Ireland’s Local Growth Fund (LGF) reduced from £25 million to £9.2 million from April 2026. This fund was the successor to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and, before that, the European Structural and Investment Programme. This 64% decrease represents a substantial contraction in the resources available to support people with complex health, wellbeing, and employability needs. 

Under the previous UK Shared Prosperity Fund, £57 million was invested in Northern Ireland over two years to address economic inactivity. Fifteen of the eighteen funded projects were delivered by Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations, supporting 23,942 beneficiaries, including disabled people, women, young people (including those experiencing homelessness), minority ethnic communities, carers, people with convictions, and adults aged 50+ (NICVA, 2025). Many of these organisations now face severe instability, with implications for the 650 staff employed through UKSPF-funded VCS projects alone. 

This contraction comes at a time when participation in lifelong learning is in decline in the region. In Northern Ireland, the 2025 participation rate was 35%, well below the UK average of 42% and set against a wider UK decline of 10% in adult learning (Phipps et al., 2025). These trends are particularly concerning given the OECD’s finding that broad and continuous  participation in adult learning is essential for economic resilience and social inclusion (OECD, 2025). 

A recent report published by NICVA (Pivotal, 2025) highlighted that VCS organisations are dealing with complex, overlapping social challenges, including ill health, lack of skills, trauma, domestic abuse, criminal records, rural isolation, childcare deficits, housing insecurity, and fear of losing benefits. This is a key area of work providing the support needed to help those facing the most challenges. As a result, community-based learning and employability supports remain critical for tackling social exclusion and preparing individuals for participation in public and economic life.