Statement

Weir welcomes extension of SPOD scheme  

Posted on: January 6, 2010

“I welcome the announcement by the Department of Social Development to extend the funding of the Small Pockets of Deprivation (SPOD) scheme. The uncertainty around continued funding of this scheme has naturally caused great anxiety around many of the communities in North Down, and speculation around its axing has put at risk the good work that has been done on the ground. Small working class communities, particularly within the Unionist community have been the poor relations of funding in  the past, with the end result that people in these communities have fallen further and further behind, and the gap widened with more favoured communities. These communities have been ignored in the past often because geographically areas of deprivation sat close to areas of relative affluence, and need was missed because the figures were absorbed in this wider analysis. 

The SPOD scheme, which has targeted 17 local communities in Northern Ireland, including Rtahgill and Harbour, was particularly useful in that it specifically targeted these small neglected communities. It has provided financial support for community houses and workers, and made a real difference on the ground. While we can often be cynical about how little has changed, it is obvious to me the beneficial work that has been ongoing at a community level in areas such as Rathgill and Harbour. This announcement will enable that good work to continue. We must not however become complacent, and fight to ensure that this decision is not just a temporary stay of execution, rather a platform to build for the future.”