Local democracy

Agenda item

ANTI-POVERTY STRATEGY

The report of the Strategic Director, Corporate Resources, (Document “F”), presents a progress update on the District Anti-Poverty Strategy from the District’s Anti-Poverty Coordination Group. This Group leads the strategy, developed the accompanying delivery plan and submits an annual monitoring report to Corporate Overview and Scrutiny.  It is a multi-partner group, consisting of representatives from the Council, Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), health, Incommunities and the voluntary and community sector.

 

Document “F” also outlines the current position on addressing Period Poverty in the Bradford District.

 

Members are asked to consider the report and it is suggested that an update on progress be requested in twelve months’ time.

 

(Michelle Taylor – 01274 431831)

 

Minutes:

Bradford Council officers provided Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee members with an overview of the Anti-Poverty Strategy, along with a review of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to poverty work being undertaken across the District.

 

As well as this, officers also provided members with examples of the work being undertaken across the District to support the poorest and most vulnerable communities through and beyond the pandemic, including work being carried out to address Period Poverty.

 

Members of the Committee heard that the Anti-Poverty Strategy is centred around the following themes:

 

§  Boost income and reduce costs;

§  Deliver an effective benefit system;

§  Promote long term inclusive growth benefitting everyone;

§  Improve education standards and raise skills;

§  Strengthen families and communities.

 

Members were keen to understand what the outcomes and benefits of the financial advice, as this was not contained in the report.

In response, Officers informed members that they would bring this back to the Committee for consideration.

 

Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee members stressed the importance of working with local employers to help support and upskill individuals and recruiting to jobs that people have left due to Brexit. 

 

Moreover, as there are a large number of people not in jobs, employers needed to be on board with the training and upskilling of people.

 

Furthermore, members stated that a lot of food banks were not accessible as others, so residents were missing out on food for their families, as well as some residents being turned away from food banks.  Members were concerned about this and stated that this needed to be reviewed. Also, members felt that Bradford Council needed to be much clearer on supporting poverty and that even though there was a lot of data, it was not being used.

 

Continuing on, members highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated the level and how common food poverty was across the District and members were astonished to notice the level at which food poverty in the District was currently at.  Moreover, members expressed that wider views of poverty needed to be gathered as to what poverty actually is and that to do this, it was imperative to speak to those people who are actually living in poverty; rather than Bradford Council developing its own approach to poverty.

 

Moving forward, Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee members wanted to see what poverty is; what the Council is doing to address poverty; what is the livid experience of people living in poverty actually is.

Members stated that food parcels were not sustainable, especially in terms of the types of foods that were contained in food parcels and a more sustainable system was needed that provided food to all the communities in the District, who needed it.

 

In response officers indicated that the level of food poverty had increased and acknowledged that a lot more work needed to be done in relation to this.

Councillors indicated that the Council should have been better prepared for COIVID-19, given the level of poverty across the wards in the District and that communities across the District had been left to deal with the effects of COVID-19 and that no clear outcomes could be seen from the work undertaken.

 

In response, Bradford Council officers did inform members that they did a lot of work with communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed that the outcomes from the work undertaken were not clear enough.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)  This Committee requests that the Anti-Poverty Strategy progress report in 12 months’ time, specifically focuses on the mapping of anti-poverty work across the Council and its Partners, along with outcomes that have been achieved.

 

(2)  The report should also include the impact from the reductions in Universal Credit and other financial support that the Council has provided to residents, which is no longer available.

 

(Michelle Taylor – 01274 431813)

Supporting documents: