Efforts Continue to Tackle Poverty in South Tyneside

An update on the efforts being taken to tackle poverty in South Tyneside will be outlined to councillors next week with a new strategy launched to frame the  approach.

A report to South Tyneside's Borough Council highlights that, with no one organisation able to deal with the magnitude of the issue, partnership working is at the very heart of the approach. Last year a second Anti-Poverty Summit was held, involving 99 attendees from 36 organisations.

A number of key themes emerged from the Summit. Continuing to put local people with lived experience of poverty at the heart of decision-making is key, particularly through the Poverty Truth Commission, while providing simple and easily accessible information to residents is also vital. Other themes included working with employers to reduce in-work poverty and enhanced collaboration on funding bids.

Since the Summit, a clear set of action points have been drawn together to set the direction of the ongoing programme.

Attendees agreed that the network of Welcoming Places should continue to be supported. Almost 70 spaces in places such as churches, Council buildings and charities were found to be making a real difference to local residents when independently evaluated.

Training and skills provision will be offered in key community settings - including Welcoming Places - to allow people to access basic skills and a wide range of accredited training opportunities.

A range of actions were launched to protect those most at risk over the winter with 'Winter Readiness Cards' produced to enable front-line workers to signpost those in need of support. A benefits advisor visited key community venues while families entitled to universal benefits related free school meals received food vouchers over the Christmas holiday period.

Work continues with a range of partners on raising awareness of and maximising benefits. The Council Tax Reduction Scheme has been reviewed to make it more proportionate and target it at those that need the most support, as well as continuing to help care experienced young people. The new scheme complements the work of the Welfare Support Team and Local Welfare Provision by benefiting around 10,000 households through Council Tax bill reductions of, on average, 60 per cent.

A collaborative Sustainable Food Group has also been established to focus on access and preparation of nutritious food at a lower cost.

The Council is also using the South Tyneside Pledge to work with local businesses to reduce in-work poverty. More than 250 businesses have now signed up to the Pledge which aims to boost local economic activity, reduce health inequalities, cut carbon emissions, and enhance civic pride by spending, recruiting from and supporting the local area. A campaign has been launched to boost the awareness of local businesses around health and work, including benefits.

An Anti-Poverty Strategy Co-ordinator  is co-ordinating the anti-poverty work, including the multi-agency South Tyneside Poverty Group. The group has developed an Anti-Poverty Strategy which will further shape the direction of work and feed into the new North East Mayoral Combined Authority.

Councillor Paul Dean, Lead Member for the Voluntary Sector, Partnerships and Equalities, said: "With a quarter of the population of South Tyneside living in the most deprived 10 per cent of areas in England, it is clear that action on this issue was desperately needed.

"We made poverty a priority long before the cost-of-living crisis hit and it's good to see so much being achieved for those in financial dire straits thanks to the collaborative approach we've taken.

"From improving access to financial support and affordable nutritious food to tackling health inequalities linked to poverty to ensuring high quality careers advice is available to all, there is an unwavering commitment from all involved to tackle the unprecedented level of poverty in the Borough. It is that co-operative approach that is at the heart of our strategy that sets South Tyneside apart and has enabled so much to be done for those most in need of support.

"However, while there is a huge amount of work going on to alleviate poverty in South Tyneside, it must be recognised that most of the levers to action real change are in the control of central government. It is, therefore, vital that there is continued lobbying to highlight the impact of poverty and the resources needed to alleviate it. We will continue to work with our partners to call for a fairer deal for the Borough and remain committed to going further and faster to make a real difference to the lives of our residents."