Budget 2023 will affect all of our work. Here's how.
Overall, there are welcome funds in Budget 2023 to help charities, community organisations, and social enterprises to weather the year ahead. We see in this budget a clear acknowledgement at the highest level of the issues faced by our sector — which is to be recognised as testament to a huge collective effort from every one of our organisations.
We welcome the following measures raised in our pre-Budget submission, The Future is Community:
- €60 million in 2022 to ease the pressures in Arts, Sports, Gaeltacht and the Community and Voluntary sector
- €11 million for the continued response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis at community level
- €110 million to a range of Health-funded bodies including nursing homes, hospices and Section-39 organisations (this is provided as a once-off in Budget 2023, and we continue to campaign for pay parity and multi-annual budgets for statutory funded organisations)
- Increased provision for homelessness services and disability services
- An investment of €390 million for Rural and Community Development
- €100 million to progress the Shared Island Fund.
However, also evident is an ongoing need to provide medium- to long-term commitments to adequate funding and support; our sector cannot remain an essential part of Ireland’s social fabric and be a dependable resource for the state without the necessary resources. Many of the funds are provided on a once-off basis, and, while welcome, do not tackle some of the fundamental issues faced by the sector — including the recruitment and retention crisis and pay parity for statutory funded organisations.
More broadly, we also draw attention to analyses — including those by Social Justice Ireland, the Disability Federation of Ireland, and NYCI — that suggest that this budget will not mitigate against inflation for many. Against this backdrop, many parts of our sector might expect to see even greater increases in demand for their services and pressure on their capacity.
In short, Budget 2023 speaks to our sector’s vital role in Irish society, although more long-term approaches are ultimately required. We will continue advocating on your behalf to ensure that recognition translates into tangible action.
Finally, we are seeking clarity on the eligibility of charities, community groups, and social enterprises to avail of the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme, and will have an update on this in due course.
Thank you for your support of our Budget 2023 campaigning work, and we welcome any questions that you might have on the above. Please send them to our Policy Officer, Lily Power, at lily@wheel.ie.
The Wheel’s Post-Budget Analysis
At our post-Budget event, independent social researcher Brian Harvey unpacked some of the implications for charities, community and voluntary organisations, social enterprises and the people they support.