Wokingham Borough Council must continually review the support offered to families facing financial crisis to ensure a robust safety net is in place for those in need.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic there were already too many families in Wokingham struggling to make ends meet, and now many more families have been thrown into crisis, without the ability to pay their rent, heat their homes or feed their children.
The Local Welfare Provision Scheme exists to provide immediate financial support to households facing an emergency situation.
However the number of people helped by this scheme in Wokingham Borough has fallen by 76% since 2016-17, with just 21 people helped in 2020-21. In 2019-20 just £3,000 was spent providing support through this scheme. Over the three years to 2020-21 only 23% of the allocated budget was actually spent, on average.
Wokingham Borough Council will:
· Review the effectiveness of Wokingham’s Local Welfare Provision Scheme
· Consult with residents and the voluntary sector to ascertain how those who need crisis assistance can be better supported
· Ensure residents in need of support can easily access the scheme and work to remove barriers to application
· Ensure effective signposting of the scheme in conjunction with the voluntary sector
· Ensure frontline staff are trained so that they are fully aware of the scheme and are able to advise residents on how to apply
· Consider prioritising the delivery of cash-first support, which is more empowering and respectful to those on lower incomes
· Aim to provide support within 24-48 hours of a successful application
· Consider relaxing the qualifying criteria and disclosure requirements for the scheme, ensuring that residents’ dignity is respected throughout.
Minutes:
The Council considered the following Motion, proposed by Shirley Boyt (due to Rachel Burgess being unable to attend the meeting in person) and seconded by Rachel Bishop-Firth.
Wokingham Borough Council must continually review the support offered to families facing financial crisis to ensure a robust safety net is in place for those in need.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic there were already too many families in Wokingham struggling to make ends meet, and now many more families have been thrown into crisis, without the ability to pay their rent, heat their homes or feed their children. The Local Welfare Provision Scheme exists to provide immediate financial support to households facing an emergency situation.
However the number of people helped by this scheme in Wokingham Borough has fallen by 76% since 2016-17, with just 21 people helped in 2020-21. In 2019-20 just £3,000 was spent providing support through this scheme. Over the three years to 2020-21 only 23% of the allocated budget was actually spent, on average.
Wokingham Borough Council will:
· Review the effectiveness of Wokingham’s Local Welfare Provision Scheme;
· Consult with residents and the voluntary sector to ascertain how those who need crisis assistance can be better supported;
· Ensure residents in need of support can easily access the scheme and work to remove barriers to application;
· Ensure effective signposting of the scheme in conjunction with the voluntary sector;
· Ensure frontline staff are trained so that they are fully aware of the scheme and are able to advise residents on how to apply;
· Consider prioritising the delivery of cash-first support, which is more empowering and respectful to those on lower incomes;
· Aim to provide support within 24-48 hours of a successful application;
· Consider relaxing the qualifying criteria and disclosure requirements for the scheme, ensuring that residents’ dignity is respected throughout.
Shirley Boyt stated that the number of people assisted by the Local Welfare Provision Scheme (LWPS) had fallen by 89% since 2017. The scheme only helped 10 people in 2021/22, yet there were a growing number of families in the Borough facing poverty. The cost of living crisis was adding to that number of families on a daily basis. The potential of the LWPS was not being realised. The scheme needed to be reviewed and embedded within the Tackling Poverty Strategy. Feedback indicated that many residents were not aware of the scheme or did not know how to access it. An effective LWPS could provide an effective safety net for residents in the longer term
Upon being put to the vote, it was:
RESOLVED That:
Wokingham Borough Council must continually review the support offered to families facing financial crisis to ensure a robust safety net is in place for those in need.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic there were already too many families in Wokingham struggling to make ends meet, and now many more families have been thrown into crisis, without the ability to pay their rent, heat their homes or feed their children. The Local Welfare Provision Scheme exists to provide immediate financial support to households facing an emergency situation.
However the number of people helped by this scheme in Wokingham Borough has fallen by 76% since 2016-17, with just 21 people helped in 2020-21. In 2019-20 just £3,000 was spent providing support through this scheme. Over the three years to 2020-21 only 23% of the allocated budget was actually spent, on average.
Wokingham Borough Council will:
· Review the effectiveness of Wokingham’s Local Welfare Provision Scheme;
· Consult with residents and the voluntary sector to ascertain how those who need crisis assistance can be better supported;
· Ensure residents in need of support can easily access the scheme and work to remove barriers to application;
· Ensure effective signposting of the scheme in conjunction with the voluntary sector;
· Ensure frontline staff are trained so that they are fully aware of the scheme and are able to advise residents on how to apply;
· Consider prioritising the delivery of cash-first support, which is more empowering and respectful to those on lower incomes;
· Aim to provide support within 24-48 hours of a successful application;
· Consider relaxing the qualifying criteria and disclosure requirements for the scheme, ensuring that residents’ dignity is respected throughout.