Agenda item

The Cost-of-Living Update was presented by the Cabinet Member for People and Communities.

The purpose of the report was to provide the Committee with an update regarding the activities undertaken by the Cost-of-Living Team, along with details of the financial support received (facilitated by the Cost-of-Living Team) for South Kesteven residents during 2023/24 and 2024/25. The report also provided an update regarding the support being provided to pensioners affected by the changes in the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Allowance.

The Cost-of-Living Team was formed in June 2023. This was the second report to be presented to this Committee, with the first report being presented on 1 February 2024.

During the discussions, Members commented on the following:

The Head of Service (Revenues, Benefits, Customer and Community) confirmed that the figure of 13,720 at section 2.18 of the report was the total number of vouchers issued and therefore included multiple vouchers for the same individuals.  

- An indication was requested of the Cost-of-Living Team’s future following the expiry of the Cost-of-Living Team’s funding in March 2025. The Head of Service (Revenues, Benefits, Customer and Community) stated that SKDC has a reserve of £95,000 worth of re-useable vouchers that were being allocated for the new financial year.

- The Head of Service (Revenues, Benefits, Customer and Community) confirmed that that SKDC had made significant efforts to raise awareness of available support not just with digital output but also by identifying individuals known to council services as requiring support. Furthermore, the Cost-of-Living Team had conducted visits across the district. A Member praised these efforts and the hard work done by officers in the Cost-of-Living Team. However, the Member was sceptical of the extent to which efforts to raise awareness of the support had been successful. The suggestion was made for Housing Officers to be more proactive in raising awareness of the Cost-of-Living Team within their capacity. The Head of Service (Revenues, Benefits, Customer and Community) acknowledged that awareness of the support needed to continue to increase. However, they did clarify their apprehensiveness about intruding on the remit of Tenancy Services by escalating the involvement of Housing Officers.  A Member noted that raising awareness of support was also a responsibility of Members across the district.

- It was noted by a Member that a barrier to some individuals accessing such support was the pride of individuals to be self-sufficient. The Member remarked that this was particularly the case with the older generation who were being directly impacted by the changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance. It was requested that resources for raising awareness were arranged in a physical printed format that could be handed to individuals or posted through doors for those unlikely to learn of the support online. The Head of Service (Revenues, Benefits, Customer and Community) confirmed that 900 letters had been posted to SK pensioner tenants regarding support available in light of the changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance. Despite these 900 letters, only 15 responses were received to date. Despite this lack of engagement by residents, SKDC were arranging for leaflets to be made available in relevant locations such as libraries, community centres, etc.

- A Member suggested engaging with Parish Churches, stating that they were often aware of specific individuals in need.

- It was identified by a Member that tackling the stigma of accessing support and simplifying the process of attaining the support should be prioritised, particularly given the link between suicide rates and those living in poverty.

- The Cabinet Member for People and Communities praised the hard work of the individuals in the Cost-of-Living Team.

The Cost-of-Living Update was NOTED by the Committee.