8 members of steeringgroup submit plans for city poverty action

EIGHT members - both political and non-political - of a steering group founded to propose local projects to tackle poverty and dereliction in Londonderry have identified lead partner organisations to carry out the proposed plans.
This derelict building in Kennedy Place in Londonderry's Fountain Estate which collapsed in April.. The SIF is supposed to tackle dereliction here.This derelict building in Kennedy Place in Londonderry's Fountain Estate which collapsed in April.. The SIF is supposed to tackle dereliction here.
This derelict building in Kennedy Place in Londonderry's Fountain Estate which collapsed in April.. The SIF is supposed to tackle dereliction here.

Alison Wallace (Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership), Charles Lamberton (TRIAX/Neighbourhood Partnership Board), Darren Kirby (Outer North Neighbourhood Partnership), Noel McCartney (Community Restorative Justice), Ann Donnelly (SDLP), Drew Thompson (DUP), Paul Fleming (Sinn Féin), Marion Quinn (SDLP) have submitted proposals to the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) that could see local projects benefit from an £80m fund to fight poverty.

Back in 2012 the Sentinel revealed Londondery was one of nine zones to benefit from the fund. The Western Trust area is another to benefit from the Social Investment Fund (SIF) initiative.

Plans for a maximum of twenty strategic projects to tackle poverty, unemployment, dereliction and inaccessibility to services across both areas were supposed to have been submitted to OFMDFM at the end of February.

Now SDLP MLA Colum Eastwood has asked if OFMDFM issued guidance that lead or managing agencies for projects should only come from representatives on SIF steering groups.

He also asked the Ministers whether such guidance was “equality proofed, given that members of steering groups were appointed as individuals and not organisations.”

In a joint statement, First Minister Peter Robinson and Depurty First Minister Martin McGuinness stated: “Guidance was issued to Steering Groups to assist them during the area planning process and included advice on the identification of lead partner organisations coming from within the Steering Groups.

“That advice did not state that lead or managing agencies should only come from within the steering group. Decisions on lead partners will take into account which organisations are best placed to manage and oversee individual project delivery. Steering Groups have now identified preferred lead partner organisations on their final plans and these are under consideration within the economic appraisals submitted to the Department for assessment.”