AN organisation helping women access jobs and education in the north-west has said it is "devastated" after a failure by the British government to fully replace EU funding forced it to cut six of its staff.
The Women's Centre in Derry was among community and voluntary groups across the north to receive aid under the EU's European Social Fund (ESF).
The scheme ended last Friday as a result of Brexit, with the UK announcing a replacement funding project, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
However, the scheme's £57 million for Northern Ireland will not all the needs of groups previously benefitting under the ESF, with The Women's Centre among groups forced to make tough decisions as a result.
In a statement posted on social media, a spokesperson for the centre said they had received the "devastating news...that our ESF funding is not being replaced".
"As a result, this impacts the employment and education services we have been offering for over 10 years to the women of Derry. We also today have to say goodbye to six of our amazing skilled colleagues and friends," the spokesperson said, calling the situation a "disgrace" and adding: "We need a government that works for us."
They added that the centre will continue its work despite the blow, adding that another six staff were now on notice as a result of a lack of funding from the Department for Communities due to there being no Stormont Budget.
"This affects many organisations. We need to stand together as a sector and as a community and not stand for this," they added.
Foyle SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin said community groups affected by the removal of EU funds were "burnt out with worry", adding the situation was a "direct result of Brexit and has been further compounded by Tory indifference to the lives of people here".
In a statement, Ms McLaughlin said she was "disgusted" at the impact on the Women's Centre, adding: "That is six families who won’t know where their next cheque will come, how they will manage their bills and keep their homes."
Derry People Before Profit councillor Maeve O’Neill said the funding crisis was "a devastating blow that should not be accepted".
“This will leave vulnerable women and families without desperately needed support," she said.
“The last minute announcement of Shared Prosperity winners and losers – and the absence of match funding by Stormont has only compounded the crisis."
UK Levelling Up Minister Dehenna Davison said the new UK Shared Prosperity Fund was "an important milestone in the investment we are making to level up Northern Ireland and the whole of the UK".
