Budget 2021: Recovery Through Community
Reaction to Budget 2021
On 13 October, Government announced its Budget for 2021. Budget 2021 contains many welcome announcements and represents a very significant investment in public services, some of which will flow through to community and voluntary organisations, to protect against the impact of COVID-19, as the unprecedented circumstances warranted. Many special supports for employers and enterprises and charities have been announced too.
It is very welcome to see budget allocations that support the work of the community and voluntary sector including a further allocation to the Stability Fund for Charities, increased funding of 7% for Department of Rural and Community Development, and allocations for voluntary disability services, voluntary hospices, rural and community supports, homeless support services, health providers, and our mental health services.
Below you can read a full summary of Budget 2021 Allocations of relevance to the charity, community and voluntary and social enterprise sector.
The COVID-19 crisis showed us that without doubt, charities, community and voluntary organisations, and social enterprises are at the heart of a strong country which supports all people, especially those who are vulnerable.
Budget 2021 must prioritise an economic recovery that is rooted in community so as to benefit all.
#FundCommunity
Now as we face into Budget 2021, it is more important than ever that the medium to long term survival of the sector is supported through adequate funding and resources. It is of particular importance that the drastic decline in fundraised and earned income is supported by the state in order to ensure that Ireland’s charities, community and voluntary organisations and social enterprises can support an ever increasing demand for essential services in areas such as health and disability, social care, education, housing, support for the elderly, domestic violence, poverty relief, the arts and sport as well as contributing to international aid.
Government needs to work collaboratively with the sector to safeguard the needs of people into the future by ensuring there is adequate resourcing into the organisations who support them. During COVID -19 we saw that we can only be judged by how we treat society’s most vulnerable. We must now ensure we are investing in the areas that will support recovery through community.
Campaign Launch
We publicly launched our Budget 2021 Campaign: Recovery Through Community by donning our masks and delivering hard copies of our submission to the Department of Rural and Community Development, Department of Health, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and Department of Finance on 23 September. Read more about the launch here.
Pre–Budget Submission Key Asks
We have submitted an extensive pre-Budget submission to Government focused on these key areas:
Read our Recovery Through Community Pre-Budget Submission:
Take Action Now
We have learned what can be achieved when we pull together as a community so we are asking you to support the campaign by:
1. Contacting Your
Local TD
↓
2. Attend Our Free Budget Briefings
↓
3. Use the
#FundCommunity
Hashtag Online
↓
→ 1. Contacting Your Local TD
We want you to contact your local TD and re-iterate how important it is that the sector is supported, in order to support vulnerable people, in Budget 2021.
You can do so by using our simple webform below.
→ 2. Attend Our Free Budget Briefings
Full details and RSVP are below.
Pre-Budget Webinar29 September, 2pm - 3.30pm Free online event. |
Post-Budget Webinar16 October, 10am - 11am Free online event. |
→ 3. Use the #FundCommunity Hashtag Online
Supporting Recovery Through Community on Social Media
We are asking you to use the hashtag #FundCommunity over the coming weeks on your social media platforms. It is important that we tell the story of how COVID 19 has impacted on those whom we support and deliver services to and how they need Government to prioritise them by investing in the survival and retention of the essential services and supports which charities, community and voluntary organisations, and social enterprises, provide.
See also:
