Campaigners have placed an advert in Chris Heaton-Harris' local newspaper calling on him to reverse "savage budget cuts" in Northern Ireland.
Members of the campaign group Act Now have published the advert in the Daventry Express, highlighting the impact of the cuts and how they are "harming children across Northern Ireland".
The advert, which was paid for by members of the group, features a selection of the services cut in the Secretary of State’s 2023/24 budget, which include school holiday food grant, Healthy Happy Minds mental health programme, and the extended schools programme which funded schools to support disadvantaged pupils.
Read more: NI secretary Chris Heaton-Harris' sweary reply to claims budget cuts are bid to pressure DUP
The Northern Ireland Fiscal Council has estimated that Stormont officials will need to find £800m in cuts and revenue raising measures as a result of the budget.
Nicola Browne, Project Coordinator, Act Now, says: “Summer holidays are here, but there’s little to look forward to for thousands of families impacted by the budget passed by Chris Heaton-Harris, the Secretary of State. With children across our communities at risk of going without this summer, our members wanted to hold him to account for this in his own backyard, in front of his own constituents.”
It was announced this week that the Secretary of State was facing a legal challenge because of the nature of the budget.
Nicola continued: “This ad has been funded by people from all communities across the North, because we know that no matter who you are, the welfare of children is the most important thing to so many of us. The suffering these cuts will cause is immeasurable, and we simply can’t let that pass without bringing that fact right into the Secretary of States backyard”
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