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Welcome to the (slightly late) March 2023 edition of the LGA's cost of living bulletin - featuring news and updates from across the sector on a wide range of topics around the cost of living, including what the LGA is doing to support councils and communities.
Cost of Living Network webinars
The LGA’s second network webinar is due to take place 10am-12pm, 12 of May 2023.
At this event we will hear from four councils on what they are doing to support residents with the rising cost of living, as well as local actions being taken to reduce socioeconomic disadvantage and build more resilient communities.
Themes include; supporting access to affordable credit, integrating data sets to target households using high-energy medical equipment, and how a public health-led approach can predict, prevent, and treat fuel and food poverty.
All network members who have signed-up via our online form will receive a calendar invitation. If you would you like to share what you are doing to support residents, email charlotte.maguire@local.gov.uk to discuss presenting at one of the LGA’s 2023 cost of living webinars.
Fair and effective debt management
The LGA would like to capture the ways in which councils are supporting their most vulnerable residents in debt. With a focus on council tax, we are looking to produce a series of case studies that demonstrate how debt can be managed and recovered in a way that is fair and produces better longer-term outcomes for disadvantaged households.
If your council is taking an approach to debt management that is supportive and integrated with other services that strengthen financial resilience and reduce socioeconomic inequalities, email charlotte.maguire@local.gov.uk to find out more about this project.
Public health cost of living interviews and annual report
The LGA’s eleventh annual public health report 2023: ‘Supporting communities in difficult times’ was published in March and focusses on how councils have responded to the rising cost of living.
The report also includes eight interview-style case studies that demonstrate the strong role that public health has in responding to the cost of living challenges facing communities.
To help address the rising cost of living and associated poor health and wellbeing outcomes in Hertfordshire, the council have strengthened their partnership with the integrated care system (ICS) in order to prevent hospital admissions and crisis service interventions.
To support residents with high living costs, Greenwich is providing a range of financial advice services that comprises of four specialist teams.
Spring Budget 2023
In the Spring Budget the Government announced a range of measures aimed to support households with the rising cost of living, including:
- Maintaining the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) as its current level for an additional three months (April to June 2023).
- Removing the energy premium paid by customers on prepayment meters through an adjustment to the EPG.
- Providing Universal Credit childcare costs upfront, instead of in arrears.
- Increasing the amount of Universal Credit childcare support that families can claim per month.
You can read the LGA's On-the-Day Briefing for more details on the Spring Budget announcements.
Tackling poverty and the cost of food
On 1 March 2023 Lee Anderson MP led a debate on tackling poverty and the cost of food in the House of Commons. The LGA’s briefing for this debate can be viewed on our website and the full transcript of the debate can be viewed on UK Parliament.
Support for single parent families
On 13 March 2023 Amy Callaghan MP led a debate on support for single parent families in the House of Commons. The LGA’s briefing for this debate can be found on our website and the full transcript of the debate can be viewed on UK Parliament.
The Work and Pensions Committee
The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee has launched a new inquiry to assess whether current working-age benefit levels are sufficient to meet need. The committee met with academics and policy experts on 8 March 2023 to gather insight on how to approach this review, the session can be watched on Parliament TV.
The committee continue to call for evidence and are inviting organisations, including councils, to submit written evidence before the deadline of 3 May 2023.
The Communications and Digital Committee
The Communications and Digital Committee are running an inquiry to look at how the rising cost of living is affecting digital exclusion and to identify any possible solutions to this. The LGA’s written response to the inquiry can be found on the committee webpage, alongside other organisations responses, recordings of oral evidence sessions, and further news and updates.
The Department for Work and Pensions
Last month the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced it will be expanding the Additional Jobcentre pilot to a further 60 Jobcentres across the UK. The pilot aims to offer extra support to people who remain unemployed or with low earnings after 13 and 26 weeks of claiming Universal Credit.
Claimants who are part of this intensive work search regime will be required to visit the jobcentre daily for a period of two weeks and could potentially face sanctions for failing to do so.
Independent Age
Independent Age have produced a good practice and principles toolkit for local authorities wanting to increase local take-up of Pension Credit.
Pension Credit is a weekly benefit to boost the income of low-income pensioners. It is estimated that up to 850,000 people are currently missing out on this benefit due to factors such as lack of awareness and stigma around claiming support. This toolkit summarises the actions and strategies of local authorities who have run successful take-up campaigns in their local area and highlights how these learnings can be transferred.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation report: Guarantee our Essentials, reforming Universal Credit to ensure we can all afford the essentials in hard times
Action for Children: the limits of work as a route out of poverty and hardship
Single Homeless Project: Women's Pan-London Rough Sleeping Census
Shelter: Still Living in Limbo, why the use of temporary accommodation must end
Loughborough University Minimum Digital Living Standard launched to reduce digital exclusion in UK households with children
Russell Group Students' Unions: cost of living report
There a number of upcoming free non-LGA events which may be of interest:
Vocational Rehabilitation Association: The impact of the cost of living crisis on Welfare to Work participants
Thursday, 13 April | Online
University of Cambridge: What is the real cost of food?
Monday, 17 April | Online
The Warm Welcome Campaign: Not just for Winter
Wednesday, 19 April | Online
University of Cambridge: The public cost of personal hardship, evaluating the hidden expense of cost-cutting measures on social wellbeing
Monday, 24 April | Online
Citizens Advice: May cost of living briefing
Thursday, 11 May | Online
National Suicide Prevention Alliance: The impact of the cost of living crisis on different groups
Monday, 15 May | Online
Hourglass: The risks to older people around abuse and the cost of living crisis
Thursday, 25 May | Online
CVSL conference: Voluntary sector organisations’ response to the rise in the cost of living
Thursday, 25 May | Online
For more information visit our Cost of Living hub
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