Agenda item

The committee to receive a presentation on the local response to the cost-of-living crisis. Representatives from Citizens’ Advice, W3RT and Watford Elim Church will also be in attendance.

The committee received presentations from several organisations involved in responding to the cost-of-living crisis: Watford Citizens’ Advice, Watford and Three Rivers Trust (W3RT) and Elim Church.

The Director of Performance introduced the report highlighting that the Cost-of-Living Forum had been convened by the Mayor to oversee the local response.  Watford had a strong and effective voluntary and community sector who delivered for the town.

Councillor Rodrigues withdrew from the meeting.

The committee received a presentation from Steph Sykes, Watford Citizens’ Advice (CA). The presentation covered an overview of the service, how CA had unlocked financial and other benefits to residents, issues faced by clients over the last 12 months, which groups were disproportionately impacted, the anticipated areas of pressure for the next 12 months and how they were working in partnership.

During the course of the discussions, the following points were highlighted:

·                 All charities were under pressure for funding which required a strategic approach to opportunities.  There was also a wider issue around maintaining the volunteering resource.

·                 CA’s data, which showed that single mothers, those with disabilities and ethnic minorities were most impacted by the crisis, was consistent with data from across the country. There were no clear answers about why these groups were overrepresented and others were underrepresented.

·                 Discussions were ongoing with the council and Watford Community Housing about communicating debt advice early to those in arrears to prevent people getting into debt and to identify vulnerabilities.

·                 Many of those struggling with costs were in employment. CA were aware of the importance of using positive language and it was humbling to hear people’s stories. CA remained a politically neutral organisation.

·                 There was no clear pattern to which bills were missed first, it depended on individual circumstances. The key message was to seek support as soon as possible. CA ran national campaigns around structural issues which impacted debt.

·                 One of the key outcomes of the recent survey among households was to encourage joined-up communications across organisations. This was particularly challenging for digitally isolated households. Information was disseminated to housing associations and community centres as well as information in About Watford and on the digital display boards in the town.

Councillor Rodrigues returned to the meeting.

Pastor Guy Miller of Elim Church, which ran Manna Foodbank, gave a presentation to the committee.  The key highlights were:

·                 The foodbank fed 3,398 families last year and a number of families came on Sundays for a hot meal.

·                 They were supported by a number of companies which provided goods to distribute, this was challenging when companies could no longer assist.

·                 They saw people in significant financial hardship who could not afford to eat for days at a time.

·                 It was anticipated that needs would increase over the coming months and the team did what they could to help those struggling.

·                 The foodbank was self-funding, with occasional grants and valuable volunteer support.

During the course of the discussions, the following points were highlighted:

·                 Food donations were the most valuable donation and supermarkets did provide support as part of their aim to cut food waste.

·                 It was usually the same families who came for a meal on Sundays, although new people also benefitted.

The Chair then withdrew from the meeting; the Vice Chair chaired the meeting.

The committee welcomed Alex Murray of W3RT to the meeting who made a presentation about their role in supporting the voluntary sector. The key highlights were:

·                 W3RT’s role was to support other organisations. This included allocating the household support fund where a diverse group of organisations benefitted.

·                 Grants remained competitive and the Asda fund and the National Lottery were likely to be valuable sources of funding.

·                 Supermarkets did provide food donations, but often it was bread and seldom fresh fruit.

·                 W3RT supported organisations in diversifying their volunteer base.

During the course of the discussions, the following points were highlighted:

·                 There was a free funding database on the W3RT website.

·                 It was important for people to seek advice early and to be wary of which organisations were giving advice.

·                 The CA’s cost of living survey report provided areas of recommended actions on local and national scales to enable political support.

·                 A lack of digital connectivity hindered support and the council was undertaking a digital inclusion project with W3RT.

The committee discussed conclusions and recommendations.  Members were keen to see more good news stories about money saved for families to demonstrate the impact on individuals and for the town; this could encourage more people to seek support and groups to participate in initiatives or apply for grants. An emerging theme was the impact of sharing data, communications and other opportunities to collaborate. The committee underlined the importance of seeking advice early from reputable organisations.

RESOLVED –

that the committee’s conclusions and requested actions be taken forward.

The Chair then returned to the meeting and resumed chairing.