Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director of Innovation and Change and the Executive Director of Finance and Resources

It is recommended that Cabinet:

·       Notes the decision taken by the Leader of the Council on 30 November.

·       2022 to invest a further £1m of council resources to support at least. 3,350 of the most vulnerable households over the Winter.

·       Notes the worsening economic outlook for 2023/24.

·       Agrees to a further investment of £1m for 2023/24 to support households hardest hit by the cost-of-living crises, bringing the total package of support available across the city to £10m.

·       Delegates to the Executive Director of Innovation and Change and Executive Director of Finance & Resources authority to agree in consultation with the Leader of the Council the scope of future projects based on need, value for money and evidence of what works.

COST OF LIVING SUPPORT

Report of the Executive Director for Innovation and Change

Councillor Hug invited Pedro Wrobel, Executive Director for Innovation and Change to speak to this report.

We know many of our residents continue to face a very difficult winter. Given the cold weather predicted for the coming weekend the Council has seen a significant uptake in our Winter In The City. Venues such as the Abbey Centre reported they were full and there has been a doubling of online engagement regarding the scheme.

Councillor Hug thanked all officers involved, saying that the support set out in the report isn’t the totality of what has been provided. Winter In The City has leveraged benefits in kind from venues across the city and the responsible business team is working to encourage stakeholders and partners to support the Cost-of-Living crisis.

Councillor Hug invited Cabinet to come forward with any comments.

Councillor David Boothroyd told Cabinet colleagues that they needed to be candid, saying that while they would look to support all residents over the winter constraints on resources mean we cannot.

Councillor Boothroyd went on to say that Cabinet would not be excused if they had resources available and failed to deploy them. The support outlined in the report has been carefully modelled to reach those that need it most, including through the use of direct payments which are the best way to reach people, while energy vouchers will combat one of the worst impacts of the Cost-of-Living crisis.

Councillor Boothroyd raised an error in the reporting the Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA), this will be corrected and an updated EQIA will be provided.

Councillor Geoff Barraclough thanked his colleagues for bringing both this decision and the previous decision on Free School Meals forward, saying it will make a marked difference to the lives of Westminster residents.

Councillor Hug concluded by saying that this action was needed because Cabinet feel that adequate support has not been brought forward by Central Government to combat the scope and scale of the challenge and that he and his Cabinet colleagues will continue to work with officers to take a prudent and measured approach in how they provide support to combat the Cost-of-Living crisis.

RESOLVED: CABINET APPROVED THE RECOMMENTDATIONS AS SET OUT IN SECTION 2, PAGE 72