Scarborough councillors set up group to promote cost of living help
A working group is aiming to make people more aware of benefits and entitlements that are available to them
Amid predictions of further rises to the energy price cap and a cost of living crisis that shows no sign of abating, many have been wondering what support is available to them.
From universal credit to council tax reductions and the £150 energy rebate scheme, accessing funds and financial support can seem complicated.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke with Scarborough Borough Cllr David Jeffels who is currently heading up a working group that aims to make people more aware of benefits and entitlements that are available to them.
“The biggest obstacle to people accessing benefits is communication and knowing where they can get the information, and that’s where we are coming into it,” said Cllr Jeffels.
“We plan to use places such as doctors’ surgeries and social media, and we shall put out information as widely as possible because the benefits are there … they are in fact entitlements.”
Cllr Jeffels is the chair of Scarborough Council’s Lives and Homes Overview and Scrutiny Committee and has taken the lead in setting up the cross-party working group, which will include members from his committee as well as the other scrutiny committee tasked with the remit of places and futures.
Although at a local authority level North Yorkshire is among the least deprived in England, Scarborough continues to be the most deprived district in North Yorkshire.
According to the Index of Multiple Deprivation, it is ranked 90th most deprived out of 326 lower-tier local authorities, where first place is the most deprived.
Cllr Jeffels, who has represented the ward of Derwent Valley & Moor for the Conservative Party since 2015, says the idea for the working group arose from a seminar at the Coventry University Campus where “everyone agreed” that cost of living was the most pressing issue at the moment.
“I have been given the names of various funds that are available and money comes from the Government and it is sent to local authorities and then they distribute it,” he said.
“If we can get more people coming forward it is going to help them considerably, I think, as this coming winter sounds like it is going to be a pretty tough one as far as utility bills go.
“And if we can get people applying for these entitlements, then it is going to make a big difference to them and their quality of life.”
The councillor suggests that many of the benefits available to people can be accessed via Scarborough Council’s customer service centre which “will also be able to offer expert help” alongside organisations and charities such as Age Concern and the Citizens’ Advice Bureau.
Although the working group is not set to meet until October, with a preparatory meeting later this month, he says that “we need to be acting pretty quickly, rather than wait for all the bureaucracy of the system at the town hall”.
“People will be getting their increased bills this side of Christmas or just after, so we want to be getting the information out as quickly as possible.”
As it stands, the membership of the working group is also set to include Cllrs Guy Coulson, Alex Bailey, Bill Chatt, Jane Mortimer, Roberta Swiers and Paul Riley, with the aim of writing a report that will be presented for consideration to the council’s cabinet.
Cllr Jeffels is optimistic about the working group but adds: “It would be good if the Government was able to give more aid. They are talking about utility bills which is encouraging but, of course, that will not be decided until the new prime minister is in place.
“Quite honestly, every avenue that is available to us will certainly be explored to make sure we get these benefits coming into Scarborough and help to combat poverty.”