Agenda item

An opportunity for the Select Committee to hear about the support that has been available to Buckinghamshire residents to assist them during the crisis, from both the Council and our partners. 

Contributors:

Cllr Arif Hussain, Cabinet Member for Communities

Matt Everitt, Service Director, Business Intelligence and Community Support

The Chairman welcomed Cllr Arif Hussain, Cabinet Member for Communities and Matthew Everitt, Service Director, Business Intelligence & Community Support to the meeting. He expressed his thanks and admiration for the work of the Helping Hand team and asked that his comments be passed on to the officers involved.  The Committee echoed these comments.

The Cabinet Member for Communities introduced the report, making the following key points:

• Buckinghamshire was seen as a very affluent area but there were pockets of deprivation, especially in the Opportunity Bucks wards.
• A new cohort of residents has emerged. They had not suffered financial hardship before and did not know how to get help.
• A number of initiatives had been set up to help residents including welcome spaces, warm boxes and Helping Hand partnership working between council officers and voluntary and community partners was vital to the delivery of these schemes.
• Nine work streams had been set up using officers and the voluntary sector. Each of these had bespoke communications so that residents could understand what help was on offer.
• The Energy Doctor service also helped with household fuel usage. The Citizens’ Advice Bureau offered help with debt relief.
• A grant of £4.8 million from the Government’s Household Support Fund had helped 7,500 residents with a range of needs.

In response to questions and during subsequent discussions, the following main points were noted:

• The Cabinet Member for Communities explained that the Council was currently lobbying the government for funding for the year 2024 to 2025. He would share any updates with the committee. The team was looking at ways to continue the Helping Hand offer should the Household Support Fund be withdrawn.
• The Buckinghamshire Food Partnership (BFP) communicated with food banks and suppliers to ensure that their work was not duplicated and is working with the Rothschild Foundation and other providers in the Chesham area to adopt a food ladder approach.  This approach aims to help residents in crisis or struggling to get good food and then work towards developing sustainable community solutions.
• The networking and partnership approach had been very successful. Partners had been investigating sustainable solutions to help residents move out of financial insecurity, which would drive down demand for the Helping Hand service.
• The Service Director, Business Intelligence & Community Support agreed to share information about how many residents per ward request support from Helping Hands and data to show whether demand was rising.

                                               Action: Service Director, BI & Community Support                                                                      

• It was explained that Food champions were volunteers who co-ordinate donations to food banks for an area, such as their street or an estate.
• A Member pointed out that there was some confusion between food banks and community fridges. There was also a concern that some residents could collect food from more than one food bank. He wondered if there could be more emphasis on donations and collections for food banks. The Service Director, Business Intelligence & Community Support explained that Food Actions Plans were being developed to bring the various parties together. Some community fridges worked better than others but their main purpose was to ensure that food was not wasted. Any specific concerns could be dealt with outside the meeting.
• The Cabinet Member for Communities explained that there was a list of Food Banks and Community Fridges which could be shared and Food Banks were detailed in the Bucks Online Directory. Underlying problems, such as help with bills and Council Tax relief were being tackled by the Community Boards. There were a range of initiatives which could promote sustainable warmth and cheaper energy.
• A Member raised concerns about the continuance of the Household Support Fund for 2024 -2025. The Service Director, Business Intelligence & Community Support explained that this fund was only available until 31^st March 2024. A report at the end of the financial year would set out how this fund had been used to support residents. The Council provided detailed information to central government on how the funds were spent and the number of households supported. There were currently 200 applications for support on average each week, up to half of these were repeat applications. Demand for help tends to rise in the colder months.
• There was a discussion on what could be saved when a tenant moves out of social housing. Currently, through Opportunity Bucks, the Council had negotiated with social landlords that carpets in a reasonable condition would be retained and a Member suggested that furniture and white goods could also be re-used. The Service Director, Business Intelligence & Community Support agreed that this could be explored further.
• In response to a question regarding the key successes of the Opportunity Bucks programme, the Service Director highlighted a number of successful initiatives including Multiply, which improved numeracy and literacy, some career initiatives to help young people into work and Health on the High Street projects, as well as Community Action Days.

The Chairman thanked the contributors for the comprehensive report and their responses to the questions raised.  The Committee hoped that the valuable support for residents would be able to continue.