CALL FOR ACTION TO SUPPORT DUBLIN INNER CITY PARTNERSHIP.

Dublin inner city Community Organisations and SIPTU Trade Union  have called on the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Pat Carey TD, to intervene urgently to prevent the closure of the Dublin Inner City Partnership (DICP).
 
The Dublin Inner City Partnership (DICP) has been to the forefront in tackling long term unemployment and acute poverty in the inner city for almost twenty years. It has been recognised as among the most successful partnerships in the country and has developed and worked through a local community infrastructure that now includes twenty community organisations delivering a wide range of effective services and activities to inner city residents in the most disadvantaged areas.
 
The Board of Pobal has decided to end the present contract with the DICP on 30th May 2010. The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (CRAGA) have been pursuing the retrenchment and realignment of community and local development structures for the past number of years. These efforts intensified last year and pressure was placed on Pobal to find a means to do this. Recently Pobal officials informed inner city community organisations that Pobal management intended to replace the DICP with an alternative coordinating structure by June 2010. This was before the Pobal Board had made any decision in relation to the DICP contract.
 
In December 2009 CRAGA instructed Pobal to undertake a review of DICP. The Department then used the review as the rational to withdraw the funding, without warning and before DICP was allowed a right to reply. However as soon as the DICP received the report in January 2010 the Board and Staff acted promptly to respond comprehensively to the issues raised and quickly dealt with the priority requirements identified by Pobal.
 
As a result; (i) the DICP Board approved salary reductions for DICP staff and for staff employed in organisations supported by DICP; (ii)the DICP Board adopted the Pobal operations manual as the sole source for policies and procedures and (iii) a comprehensive action plan was set out addressing each issue raised in the audit with timelines for delivery and full implementation by end of April 2010. Despite the fact that all the demands made by Pobal were met by DICP the Pobal Board on 1st April 2010 decided to end the present contract by 30th May 2010.
 
This decision by Pobal has serious consequences for the inner city. The closure of the DICP will result in the lay-off of the four highly skilled, experienced and committed workers; the future of the four Local Employment Centres with sixteen staff is put at risk; the seven community organisations, with twelve workers that provide the core infrastructure to DICP will be under the direct control of Pobal from April and the Department’s proposed new Local Community Development Programme (LCDP) could have serious implications for the future of seven Community Development projects with their twelve workers to be transferred into the new programme. 
 
The DICP has been a strong advocate to Government for many years in response to the scale of persistent poverty and disadvantage in the inner city. Many new approaches and initiatives have been successfully developed. A vibrant community infrastructure has been built involving local residents which the DICP has fought to protect against cut backs and closures.
 
A gross injustice is being perpetrated here. There is no justification to close the DICP, other than the deliberate destruction of an independent community based organisation that has provided leadership and support for inner city communities for almost twenty years.
 
This call to action is being supported by the Inner City community networks with over 120 organisations, by the Community Development Projects and the many other community organisations across the city who have offered solidarity. We would appreciate your support also.
 
Please forward this email to Minister Pat Carey TD, Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs calling on him to prevent the closure of Dublin Inner City Partnership. Forward to : aire@pobail.ie and pat.carey@oireachtas.ie