The Cliff Edge Coalition
The Cliff Edge Coalition is a group of over 100 organisations from across Northern Ireland, including NIAPN. The Cliff Edge Coalition was formed in 2018 to highlight shared concerns over the potential ‘cliff edge’ created by the welfare mitigations package ending in 2020.
A successful campaign led to the Northern Ireland Assembly legislating to indefinitely retain the mitigations for the Social Sector Size Criteria (bedroom tax), close the loopholes which had prevented many claimants from accessing financial assistance through the mitigation scheme, and extend the Benefit Cap mitigations until 2025.
The Coalition has highlighted that Northern Ireland now faces another ‘cliff edge’ with many families facing poverty and struggling to make ends meet. This situation is further exacerbated by the current Cost of Living crisis.
The Welfare Mitigations Independent Review Report was published in October 2022 and outlined the Panel’s recommendations, while the Coalition fully endorses all these recommendations, as a Coalition we have decided to focus on three primary asks during our Campaign:
Resolving the five week wait in Universal Credit
Mitigating the two-child limit
Providing support to private renters affected by the Local Housing Allowance
For more information about the key asks, visit the Cliff Edge Coalition’s website.
Follow Cliff Edge Coalition NI on Twitter @CliffEdgeNI.
Contact Rebecca Corbett to join the Cliff Edge Coalition, email: r.corbett@unison.co.uk
