A Failure to Invest in Communities Will Fuel Division: Lessons from France
As it becomes clear that Budget 2026 is likely to be a budget of restraint, it is crucial that the government avoid repeating the catastrophic decisions of the recent past. The community and voluntary sector must not be sidelined as an unnecessary expense when the economic situation appears unfavourable. Rather, at a time of growing division and national and global uncertainty, we must reinforce our social infrastructure through services which we know can provide the supports people need. A well-resourced voluntary sector will lead to more sustainable communities, stronger supports, and social cohesion. To achieve this, what we need is nothing less than an urgent investment in our collective future.
Ireland has long depended on the agility and resilience of the community and voluntary sector in responding to crises and bridging gaps in public services, especially in areas like housing, health, and social care. Nowhere has this been more obvious than during the barrage of crises which began in 2020 with COVID-19, and has continued with the invasion of Ukraine, global economic shocks, and increasing climate instability most recently embodied by Storm Éowyn.
As Éowyn raged across the island, community and family resource centres, sports and youth clubs, opened their doors to offer shelter, hot meals, and other supports, working closely with local authorities to establish vital community hubs. Storm Éowyn demonstrated not only how effective our sector is in its response to emergencies, but also how necessary that response is in bolstering a state infrastructure that is currently inadequate to meet the public need.
But this is merely one instance of an increasing reliance on the community and voluntary sector and its “invisible” infrastructure. In areas like disability care, for example, the sector is providing close to 70% of existing services. In Ireland, as in my native France, this infrastructure provides and maintains the shared spaces where we can talk to one another and learn how to live together in communities more enriched by diversity with each passing year. It leads to greater trust in the State and its agencies, which in turn leads to greater social cohesion, something that we are in desperate need of today. It increases wellbeing, improves mental health, aids in personal growth and skills development, and promotes a sense of true belonging.
Despite these very real and measurable benefits, there appears to be a current temptation to prioritise competitiveness and defence, in the face of increasing global uncertainty, over social investment, and to look to privatisation as a cure-all for social and structural ills. Make no mistake, this has directly led—and will continue to lead—to an accelerated collapse of social values, a reduction in social cohesion, and a grave undermining of public trust in the State. I have seen how these kinds of policy decisions play out in the country of my birth.
Over the past two decades, the deterioration of the French public healthcare system, an explosion in poverty rates, an abandonment of rural areas, and a more general erosion of the Welfare State, has resulted in skyrocketing societal tension and collapse of the public trust. Simultaneously, we have seen the terrifyingly rapid ascent of the far-right, as the Rassemblement National (National Rally) has moved swiftly from a marginal political party to a presidential prospect.
Here in Ireland, the place I now call home, I have watched as consistent poverty has spread, slowed only marginally by the insufficient one-off measures of recent budgets. The housing and cost-of-living crises, waiting lists for health and social care services, the failures of private care provision, all are painfully familiar to me. The financial crisis of 2008 gouged deep marks in the community and voluntary sector in Ireland and the pay of tens of thousands of hard-working people in our sector has not been fully restored since. Even with last year’s Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement, we are still in a situation where pay gaps between our sector and public service workers can be as big as 15% for identical work.
In addition, the lack of secure multi-annual funding and spiralling costs due to inflation and compliance burdens are stretching the capacity of our sector to deliver essential services to breaking point. Finally, the increase of for-profit provision of health, disability, and elder care constitutes a major challenge for our sector, and to society, in ensuring that quality of care and individual dignity are protected.
We are at a crossroads. Current consultations will shape the future of our sector at the national and EU levels, but in Budget 2026, the new Government will clarify its values and priorities for the nation. Long-term problems require long-term solutions, and we need to ensure that government’s resourcing of the community and voluntary sector meets the growing needs of the population.
More than 280,000 people working in our sector today need to be paid equal to their counterparts in public service to immediately alleviate ongoing struggles in recruitment and retention. Staff shortages and turnover are very negative for those receiving care and support. And we must also acknowledge that to provide any service requires the meeting of core costs like rent, bills, regulatory compliance, training and development, and pension provision, all of which are increasing substantially year-on-year.
Budget 2026 is an opportunity for the government to steer us all toward a safer and more prosperous future by committing to a tangible long-term investment in the invisible but fundamental infrastructure of our country. It is an opportunity that they must not miss.
Guillaume Jacquinot is the Advocacy and Campaigns Manager of The Wheel, Ireland’s national association of charities, community groups, and social enterprises.
POST-BUDGET WEBINAR, 14 OCTOBER
How did the Irish community and voluntary sector fare in Budget 2026?
Budget 2026, the first of the new government, is an opportunity to set the tone for the next 5 years and build a future that empowers our sector; one in which charities, community groups, and social enterprises can efficiently and effectively work with those they serve.
In this members-only webinar, we’ll hear from Ber Grogan (Simon Communities of Ireland), Susanne Rogers (Social Justice Ireland), and Fleachta Phelan (Disability Federation of Ireland) on their reflections and analysis of Budget 2026 and what it means for community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises.
The webinar will provide up-to-date analysis and interpretation, including key insights that will help Irish community and voluntary organisations keep one step ahead in 2026.