Issue - meetings

Verbal update by Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Housing

At its meeting in October, Executive considered a report that detailed a Cost of Living Crisis Action Plan (item 35 refers) to cover Winter 2023, that had been drafted following a motion to Full Council in July 2023.  

Executive approved the development of an evaluation framework to track progress of the action plan, to form the basis of detailed updates to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Housing will present the update on progress of the action plan.

Resolved

(1)   That the Cost of Living Crisis Action Plan update be noted.

The Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing and the Senior Healthy Place Shaping Officer gave a presentation on the progress made against the Cost of Living action plan that had been submitted to Executive in October 2023. The update covered the December 2023 and January 2024 period.

The Committee was advised that the Council had funded seven community food grants across the District including in Fritwell and Tadmarton with a further five grants pending award. A variety of projects had been funded including assistance on the use of slow cookers, the provision of cooking and recipe sessions and work on improving the accessibility at the venues.

The Senior Healthy Place Shaping Officer outlined a new initiative that had been introduced to provide advice to residents on debt and money issues. In addition to the information available on the Council’s website, leaflets had also been distributed at local GP surgeries.

The Committee was provided with details of the Household Support Equipment Grant which enabled community groups to apply for grants to purchase equipment such as blankets, thermal clothing, air fryers and other energy efficient appliances and LED lightbulbs to hand out to residents affected by the cost of living crises.

The Senior Healthy Place Shaping Officer advised the Committee that there was a plan to introduce a Banbury food hub similar to the one in Botley to distribute surplus food. In response to a question from a member of the Committee querying whether Bicester would be a better location, the Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing advised that the Oxford food hub had proposed that Banbury should be the location of their second site due to its location in the north of the county but she would ask them to consider Bicester as an option.

In response to a question seeking clarification regarding oil co-operatives, the Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing advised that this was run by Community First Oxfordshire and that the Council funded the membership fee on behalf of the residents so that they did not have to pay to have the option of purchasing cheaper oil.

In response to a question regarding the effectiveness of the use of thermal imaging cameras to identify draughts in houses, the Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing advised that the initiative was a low cost community run project which made it a good scheme to support.

The Committee thanked the officers for all their continued hard work on the Cost of Living Action Plan.

Resolved

(1)      That the Cost of Living Crisis Action Plan update be noted.