Sinn Féin MLA Sinéad Ennis has welcomed cross-party agreement in the Assembly today calling on the British government to properly fund public services here and to place public finances on a sustainable footing.

The South Down MLA said:

“Our public services have been decimated by a decade of Tory cuts and austerity. The new money from the British Treasury does not meet the needs of public finances here.

“To deliver real change such as cutting health waiting lists, making childcare affordable, improving special educational needs services for children and young people and giving public sector workers the pay rise they are entitled to, we need proper finances to do that. 

“It’s time for a fresh look at the model of how we are funded, and that’s the conversations Executive ministers will have with the British Treasury in the coming days. 

“That must come in the form of a new Fiscal Framework that delivers effective public services and meets the needs of people here instead of one that results in an endless cycle of financial crisis. 

“The clear message from the Assembly today was one of unity, calling on the British Treasury to provide the proper finances to deliver the frontline public services that communities here need and deserve.”