'Austerity' Budget would be 'unsustainable and dangerous' for charities

The Government has ruled out the one-off universal supports in this year's Budget that acted as a safety net for many families struggling with rising grocery and fuel bills previously. File picture

Any return to “austerity” would have a devastating impact on vital community and voluntary services, along with the people who rely on them, charities have warned.

Ireland’s national association of charities The Wheel told a pre-Budget forum hosted by the Department of Social Protection that the idea charities can keep going on doing more with less was “unsustainable and dangerous”.