Cliff Edge Coalition
Campaigning to sustain and strengthen vital welfare reform measures to protect people across Northern Ireland.
Who we are
The Cliff Edge Coalition is made up of over 100 organisations from across Northern Ireland which came together in 2018 to campaign to sustain and strengthen crucial welfare reform mitigations. These mitigations were first agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive in 2016 and were designed to alleviate some of the harshest impacts of the Westminster welfare reform agenda.
As the mitigations were only due to run until April 2020, the impending ‘cliff edge’ meant that many households in Northern Ireland would abruptly lose vital support.
In 2022, the Cliff Edge Coalition welcomed the decision by the Northern Ireland Assembly to:
- indefinitely retain the mitigations for the bedroom tax
- close the loopholes which had prevented many claimants from accessing financial assistance through the mitigation scheme
- extend the benefit cap mitigations until 2025
Our renewed campaign
The Cliff Edge Coalition is now calling for further measures which are urgently needed to strengthen the current benefit system in Northern Ireland.
What are we asking for and why does it matter?
We want to see the mitigations package strengthened to protect people and families from the harsh impacts of new welfare challenges and in light of the current cost of living crisis.
Our three new asks are to:
- Resolve the five-week wait in Universal Credit
- Mitigate the two-child limit
- Provide support for private renters affected by the Local Housing Allowance
More details about our new campaign are outlined in this briefing paper.
