One of our top priorities, as a Council, is tackling child poverty and helping people through the current Cost-of-Living Crisis.
Council Leader Marie Burns is chair of the Tackling Child Poverty and Cost of Living board, which is working tirelessly with community partner organisations and our residents to find ways to make life easier for people.
In recent months, the board has hosted mini enquiries, looking at:
- The No Wrong Door approach – so that no matter which partner or service is contacted, our residents will be confidently directed to all support relevant to them and supported to access it.
- Employability – focusing on how we can help support people into training and work
- Food – how hunger and food poverty are being combatted through projects like the network of food larders, which are supported by the Fairer Food Network
- Life on Arran – concentrating on how the Cost-of-Living Crisis is impacting people living and working on the island and
- Life on Cumbrae – again, focussing on issues islanders are specifically facing in the current financial climate.
These mini enquiries are public forums that have been arranged to share ideas and information.
Feedback from the individuals and community groups who attended will help develop the Council’s Child Poverty Strategy.
Focus on food: Council Leader Marie Burns, Chair of the board, with guests and speakers at the mini public enquiry on food in Irvine’s Volunteer Rooms
If you need help during the Cost-of-Living crisis, help is on hand. Visit the Council’s dedicated webpage for all the support and resources available: Cost of living support (north-ayrshire.gov.uk)
At the well-attended Arran event, held in Brodick’s Ormidale Sports Pavilion, isolation, fractured transport links and fuel costs were identified as being among major challenges to islanders as a result of the Cost-of-Living Crisis.
At the Cumbrae session, held in Garrison House, ferry costs and – again – social isolation were flagged up as some of the main contributing factors in making the Cost-of-Living Crisis worse for people.
At both islands sessions, good examples of work already being done by groups to support the islands’ communities were raised and open discussions were held with Council officers, residents, community groups and businesses about how to improve things going forward.
North Ayrshire Council’s top priorities include tackling child poverty and supporting residents through the Cost-of-living Crisis.
The three key drivers of child poverty are income from employment, income from social security and the cost of living.
Arran Enquiry: Vicki Yuill, Chief Officer at Arran Community and Voluntary Service (CVS), provided information from a host of groups, including the Arran Wellbeing Café; Eco Savvy Food Share; Community Link Workers; money and debt advice services the Citizens Advice Bureau.