People Before Profit Councillor Maeve O’Neill has said that funding cuts to Women’s Centre Derry must be resisted.
European funding stopped on Friday and the centre says that as a result it will have to cut six posts.
Said Cllr O’Neill: “The Tory failure to properly fund the Women’s Centre Derry is a devastating blow that should not be accepted.
“This will leave vulnerable women and families without desperately needed support.
“The last minute announcement of Shared Prosperity winners and losers – and the absence of match funding by Stormont has only compounded the crisis.
“The Tories also appear to be cynically targeting the women’s sector here for cuts.
“The cuts to the Women’s Centre, cuts to education, cuts to workers pay, cuts to Council services and massive Council rates hikes are not happening because there is no money.
“Corporations have announced record profits. The Tories are sitting on mountains of cash that can be directed towards public need.
“All of these cuts and threatened cuts enacted by the Tories, Stormont departments or by the big parties on Council are nothing more than a political choice.
“Opposing some Tory cuts and implementing other cuts using the logic of “there’s nothing we can do” demobilises communities and encourages bullies to impose more austerity. That’s how Tory bullies operate.
“To turn back the Tory assault on vital women’s services, on community groups, on schools, on the NHS and workers we need mass people power resistance on the same scale as we are seeing across France.
“Millions have joined protests in response to government austerity in Paris and every corner of the country. People on the streets of France against French Tories are our real allies in Europe.
“People power can only be built from the bottom-up.
“People Before Profit will campaign with all community organisations to restore – and increase funding – for the women’s sector and all vital services into the future.”
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