Stormont leaders come together to warn of risk to services if promise to replace EU funds broken

The leaders of the region's five main political parties have written a joint letter to Simon Clarke, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, calling for the European Social Fund (ESF) to be replaced in its entirety.

The ESF improves employment and education opportunities and employs about 1,700 people directly in Northern Ireland.

The party leaders describe the fund as an "integral" part of the local economy and across all our communities, supporting more than 17,000 "of our most vulnerable people".

The letter is signed by Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill, the DUP's Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the Alliance Party's Naomi Long, the UUP's Doug Beattie and the SDLP's Colum Eastwood.

"The loss of the ESF programme and the current failure to replace ESF funding leaves many of the projects funded by the ESF facing grave uncertainty and a potential cliff edge," the letter states.

"Some will be forced to cease operations and their valuable services will be lost to our communities."

The letter also warns that the loss of the European Regional Development Fund will have a negative impact on the growth of small businesses.

"In addition, the loss of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), particularly in the current precarious economic circumstances, will have a negative impact on the growth of small businesses and our transition to a zero-carbon economy," it added.

The leaders urged the Conservative Party to honour its commitment made in its manifesto to replace the ESF in its entirety.

"As leaders of the main parties at Stormont, we would urge the UK Government to honour that commitment and provide certainty and security for the many people who depend on these programmes by fully replacing the European Social Fund," it concludes.