Agenda item

Officers will give a comprehensive update on work taking place across the Council regarding the cost of living crisis.

The update will include details on actions to address fuel poverty, and progress regarding the food poverty motion that was adopted at Full Council on 18 July 2022.

The Committee are asked to approve the establishment of a food poverty working group. Terms of Reference for the working group are currently being drafted, and will be circulated shortly.

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

1.1      To approve the establishment of a Food Poverty Working Group

1.2     To delegate authority to the Assistant Director Law, Governance and Democratic Services (interim), in consultation with the working group Chairman, to finalise the scoping document.

Resolved

(1)           That the establishment of a Food Insecurity Working Group be approved.

(2)           That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director Law, Governance and Democratic Services (Interim), in consultation with the Working Group Chairman and Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairman, to finalise the scoping document.

The Chairman welcomed the Chief Executive, Corporate Director Resources and Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing to the meeting to present a comprehensive update on work taking place across the council to support residents with the cost-of-living crisis.  

The Corporate Director Resources explained that the presentation covered three key areas; finance, housing and food poverty, and each area would be introduced by relevant officers.

The Assistant Director Finance updated the Committee on various government backed financial schemes, including the Council Tax Energy Rebate, Housing Benefit and Council Tax support. In addition to national government schemes, the council also administered discretionary local schemes, such as the Household Support fund.

In response to questions from the Committee regarding the deadlines for the various schemes, the Chief Executive advised that the District Councils Network, of which Cherwell District Council was a member, was in discussion with central government regarding extensions, ring-fencing arrangements, and eligibility criteria.

The Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing introduced the Community Development Manager, who gave an overview of the Brighter Futures Partnership. The Programme had operated for 11 years and focussed on the 17 most deprived areas of Banbury, as identified via Office for National Statistic (ONS) figures.

The Community Development Manager advised the Committee that the Programme had secured funding from the “contained outbreak management fund” and was running additional programmes to support residents alongside the long-standing cookery skills programme and Growing Spaces project. 

The Environmental Health Officer for Housing explained the variety of housing initiatives and warm spaces programme being developed as part of the cost-of-living support.

The Environmental Health Officer explained that the council worked with the organisation ‘Better Housing Better Health’, which was a programme aimed at improving housing conditions for residents with long term health conditions.

The council also administered CHEEP grants to assist with energy efficiency of housing, and tenancy support packages for residents at risk of homelessness.

Following the recent announcements regarding the increase in the energy cap, the council was working with local partners to create a warm spaces network. The network would involve publicising community venues that would be open and welcome local residents to spend some time in a warm place and take part in various activities.

The Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing explained that a raft of work was underway in relation to food poverty. Whilst the work had been referred to as food poverty to reflect the motion that had been approved at the 18 July 2022 Council meeting,but could also be described as food insecurity.

A map of community food provision had been established during the Covid pandemic, as more residents had needed to access food banks or community larders as a result of furlough or reduced working hours during the pandemic. 

At their 6 June 2022 meeting, the Executive l had endorsed and committed to the new Oxfordshire Food Strategy with this council joining with partners in its adoption and delivery. To support this work, it was proposed to establish a Food Poverty scrutiny Working Group to work with officers on the Cherwell specific strategy and action plan. Draft terms of reference for the working group had been published as a supplement to the main agenda pack.   

The Chairman thanked officers for the comprehensive presentation and the Committee noted the work already underway. The Committee highlighted the need for better ways of communicating important helpful messages to the people in the community that were most in need of the support and initiatives detailed in the presentation. Officers assured the Committee that information was available digitally and on paper for those not digitally connected.

With regards Warm Space Networks, in response to comments from the Committee about the possibility of using  council sites  to provide warmth and respite for residents during the coming winter months, the Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing explained that the council estate was being considered, and as with all venues being approached about the network, a balance was needed in terms of the distance residents would need to travel to access a warm space building. The Portfolio Holder for Healthier Communities added that consideration also needed to be given to the package of support at warm spaces and it was important to ensure individuals attending retained their dignity.

In response to Members’ comments regarding including energy within the remit of the Working Group, the Corporate Director Resources explained that the biggest impact the council could make was in relation to food insecurity and for this reason the Working Group was recommended to focus on this aspect. In the course of discussion, the Committee agreed that the working group should be referred to as the Food Insecurity Working Group rather than Food Poverty Working Group.

Resolved

(1)           That the establishment of a Food Insecurity Working Group be approved.

(2)           That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director Law, Governance and Democratic Services (Interim), in consultation with the Working Group Chairman and Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairman, to finalise the scoping document.