NIWBG's Response to the Autumn Budget Statement 2026
On the 28th of October, the Chancellor presented the Autumn Statement, the second of this multi-year budget cycle. There was a lot of talk about ‘breathing space’ for people struggling with the cost of living and an intent to ‘tackle the big challenges’ that this government is presented with. Some of the announcements made last week could make a significant difference in the lives of women in Northern Ireland if decisions like removing the Carer’s Allowance cliff-edge are taken by Stormont. However, the Chancellor’s statement does not go far enough to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our society, particularly the most vulnerable women. There were also a lot of decisions deferred to the publication of future reports/strategies/documents such as the upcoming Timms Review and decisions around social security, total spend on defense and the Spending Review, and the Fiscal Devolution Roadmap; these are areas that need to be closely watched in the coming months.
In the Budget Statement, there were a number of policy issues mentioned by the Chancellor that particularly impact women - childcare, the gender pay gap, violence against women and girls (VAWG), etc. However, there was little funding attached to signify that these are genuine priorities for the government. Northern Ireland is the only place in the UK without fully funded childcare, the gender pay gap contributes to gender inequalities within the labour market and pensions, and the VAWG epidemic continues as the ending VAWG strategy in Northern Ireland does not receive the investment it needs. Instead of ring fencing funding for one or more of these issues, £7.5 million has been given for AI and cybersecurity jobs and skills in Belfast. Women make up 25-29% of the tech workforce in Northern Ireland, with only 5-6% of women in senior roles. While there is work to be done to equalise this sector, the £7.5 million will not target the greatest issues facing women in Northern Ireland.
In Northern Ireland’s budget, we want to see ambitious decision-making and a budget that is centred in equality and human rights. Commitments to cross-departmental working, data-backed decision-making, and genuine consultation must lead the development of a new budget as well as the new mandate. It is essential that the budget tackles the gendered issues that were mentioned by the Chancellor but received little funding (childcare, gender pay gap, VAWG). Many areas that the Executive has tried to address in the past such as economic inactivity and poor health outcomes are symptoms of these systemic problems. The Programme for Government (PfG) priorities also need to be at the forefront of the next budget as well, as the PfG should act as a guiding document for the cross-departmental development of the budget.
To read our full response: https://www.niwbg.org/_files/ugd/ceb898_ecbdd002968d4134a38b34576ad36e1f.pdf
