Valerie McConville, Chief Executive, CO3
The new Chief Executive of a leading charity and voluntary sector membership organisation has warned that the ongoing absence of a full functioning Executive is placing the sector under extreme strain.
Valerie McConville was speaking after being appointed Chief Executive of CO3, the organisation which represents charity and voluntary sector leaders in Northern Ireland. Ms McConville joins from the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, where she was Head of Membership and Business Development since 2017 and has significant experience leading and growing a membership organisation.
She has warned that the sustainability of the local charity sector is threatened by the ongoing absence of the full Executive after the resignation of the First Minister. In particular, concerns over the match funding of the European Social Fund is putting several groups and the services they provide across Northern Ireland at significant risk.
Speaking after her appointment, new CO3 CEO Valerie McConville said:
“I am very pleased and excited to be joining the CO3 team and look forward to representing charities and voluntary organisations from across Northern Ireland. The local third sector does fantastic work across the country, providing key services for thousands of our people, often some of the most vulnerable and in need people in our communities. I will work tirelessly to represent these organisations and their issues, especially as we come out the other side of the pandemic.
“However, I am under no illusions as to the challenges facing our charities and voluntary organisations right now. After two years of firefighting due to the pandemic, our third sector groups are stretched to the limit, with resources and reserves severely depleted. While the Northern Ireland Executive, in particular the Department for Communities, have provided important funding during Covid through schemes like the Covid-19 Charities Fund which have helped the sector stay afloat, it is simply not enough.
“Continued uncertainty over the future of Stormont is also deeply concerning. The current confusion over whether ministers can sign off significant match funding for the European Social Fund is causing anxieties for our members who are reliant on this funding to provide the key services they do. While we acknowledge that the Finance and Communities Ministers have been engaged in ways to resolve the issue, much more needs to be done, and quickly, to give our members the confidence and assurances they need.
“Ahead of the Assembly Election, CO3 will be engaging with all parties and candidates to ensure the value of charities is recognised and the sustainability of the sector is prioritised.”