Ní Chuilín hits out at scrapping of funding for Neighbourhood Renewal

Hitting out at Margaret Ritchie’s decision to suspend Neighbourhood Renewal funding as ‘a contradiction of everything she set out to do’, North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín accused the minister of being purposely devisive.
“I can’t spell out enough how grim the future looks for North Belfast without this vital funding,” said Carál.
“Job losses and an axe in vital services will hit those most in need hardest and plunge them further into deprivation and marginalisation.
“It seems that Margaret Ritchie wants these projects to fail, what else can people take out of it?
“These projects, the life and soul of our most in need communities, will collapse without money and they’ll never be able to pick up the pieces.”
A DSD spokesperson said the minister’s primary concern was to spend Neighbourhood Renewal money in a way that would make a real difference on the ground.
“To that end she wants to reflect on how the DSD has been assessing applications that have been processed thus far,” she said.
“There may therefore be a short delay on approvals being issued as applications are assessed.”