Agenda item

To submit a report by the Director of Social Services.

The report of the Director of Social Services incorporating the Tackling Poverty Strategic Plan for 2024 to 2029 was presented for the Executive’s consideration and approval.

The draft Tackling Poverty Strategic Plan was presented by the Director of Social Services as setting out the Council’s vision and key priority areas in tackling poverty on the Island over the next five years. The need for the Plan has been recognised as a priority and is driven by the Council Plan 2023 to 2028 which envisions an Anglesey that is healthy and prosperous where people can thrive. The Plan has been developed with input from Officers and stakeholders and its delivery will require their continued support and partnership working. In developing the Plan, the financial constraints on the Council have been considered with it being recognised that more has to be achieved with less.  A newly launched cost of living dashboard will provide evidence-based data and information enabling the Council to make correct and informed decisions in tackling poverty on Anglesey as well as monitoring progress effectively.

Councillor Gwilym O. Jones, Vice-Chair of the Partnership and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee reported from the Committee’s 13 March 2024 meeting where the Tackling Poverty Strategic Plan had been scrutinised. In discussing the Strategic Plan the Committee had raised issues with regard to the definition of poverty and how that had been arrived at, the inclusiveness of the consultation process, the processes for collecting information about poverty on the Island along with the arrangements for monitoring the actions linked to the key priorities and evaluating the success of the Plan. The Committee had questioned whether setting out six key priorities was overly ambitious in the current climate and in discussing financial poverty the Committee had sought clarity about the accessibility of sources of income via benefits and debt management advice and also the availability of employment opportunities for local people especially with regard to liaising with companies operating on the Island to create apprenticeships for young people. In recommending the Strategic Plan for approval by the Executive, the Committee had also agreed as an additional action that a joint letter on behalf of this Authority and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai be sent to the Westminster and Welsh Governments to express concern about the effects of the recent decision to significantly reduce the funding for apprenticeship schemes in the UK.  The Executive thanked Scrutiny for the input and was agreed in lending its support to the additional action put forward by Scrutiny.

The Chief Executive commented that it is important to understand that poverty is much broader than a lack of financial resources and encompasses the experiences and opportunities available to people particularly young people and how the absence of these can impact upon their lives and life chances which gives an added dimension to the approach to tackling poverty especially when the cost-of-living crisis has made circumstances more difficult for many families and children.

The Executive’s Members welcomed the Strategic Plan as critically important in seeking to alleviate the effects of poverty which can be far reaching and can include many elements such as lack of public transport and lack of access to services as well as in-work poverty as a result of low income and high housing costs due to private rents. They noted the statistics with regard to poverty on Anglesey as challenging, and they acknowledged that although the Council cannot end poverty on the Island, it can in collaboration with partner organisations and by focusing on the six priority areas identified in the Plan, address the impact of poverty, and help people improve their situation. Members recognised that many people might be reluctant to admit to being in hardship and that it was essential therefore to raise awareness of the support available across Anglesey and how people can access it.

It was resolved –

·       To approve the draft Tackling Poverty Strategic Plan 2024- 2029.

·      To endorse the recommendation by Scrutiny that a joint letter on behalf of this Authority and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai be sent to the Westminster and Welsh Governments to express concern about the effects of the recent decision to significantly reduce the funding for apprenticeship schemes in the UK.