Council widen plans to tackle welfare impacts

More help and support for families that have been impacted by changes to the welfare system will soon be available as Plymouth City Council announces a number of new plans.

Grant funding of £405,000 has been earmarked for projects that aim to help tackle financial issues, fuel poverty and unemployment in the city.

Following an impact assessment of the changes to the welfare system in 2013 there is significant need for support that is not being met. Despite this, the government is cutting funding for crisis responses and community care, and Plymouth City Council has decided to increase its investment in early intervention and prevention to minimise future demand in these areas.

Cabinet Member for Co-operatives and Community Development, Councillor Chris Penberthy said: “Whilst there will always be times of crisis for people, it is clear to me that more needs to be done to help address the underlying issues affecting individuals, families and communities in our city. We want to take actions that treat symptoms rather than continually relying on sticking plasters.

“It’s been almost 12 months since the Government forced us to make significant changes to the benefit system and our residents are paying the price. We have over 600 families in the city still waiting to downsize their property following the bedroom tax, referrals to our foodbanks has increased by 237 per cent, almost 30 per cent of the Plymouth population is at least three months behind with their bills and unemployment levels in the city stands at just over 8 per cent.

“I have made the decision to use this money to help address these areas through a package focusing on prevention and early intervention, to maximise support for vulnerable people in Plymouth. I’m particularly pleased that this includes significant help for young people through bus passes for those without work or education, apprenticeships for the unemployed and encouragement to save with credit unions.”

Plans include:

Providing financial assistance for tenants renting who need to move to cheaper accommodation but cannot afford the removal costs.
Contribute to the running costs of the Shekinah Mission.
Work with credit unions to encourage school leavers to start saving and provide opportunities for credit union loans to help clear arrears that prevent young people move to more suitable housing.
Work with schools to provide financial planning education.
Open school kitchens during school holidays in certain areas of the city to ensure children have access to a nutritious meal.
Employ apprentices to expand the work of the Plymouth Energy Community, which helps tackle fuel poverty in the city.
Incentivise employers to recruit the unemployed through the Apprentice Training Agency and provide bus passes for young people not in education, employment or training (NEETS) to attend job interviews and to be able to travel to an apprenticeship.
Provide computer based training to up-skill certain groups such as the over 50s and the unemployed over 25s.

Not only will these plans, whish are subject to Scrutiny, help tackle the impacts of the welfare reform it will also help address issues identified in the Fairness Commission’s Position Statement published in December last year.

The report highlights a need to address the high cost of living, enabling affordable healthy food and the barriers to successful employment opportunities for young people under 25.