Financial hardship survey panned

OPPOSITION councillors have criticised the approach to understanding poverty in the borough.

Wokingham Borough Council is asking for residents to complete a survey to help shape a new strategy.

It covers key topics, including family and home life, employment and income, and access to support.

Cllr John Halsall, leader of the council, said that there has been an increase in people facing employment and financial insecurity due to the pandemic.

He said: “Our borough has consistently been one of the least deprived unitary authority areas in England, ranking least deprived in 2019 Indices of Multiple Deprivation, but we want to help people on low income.”

Cllr Rachel Bishop-Firth, Liberal Democrat councillor and lead for supporting residents on low incomes, said that she is concerned it places too much focus on employment.

“An increasing number of people in Wokingham borough are struggling to provide the basics for themselves and their families,” she said. “The fact that we are a wealthy area makes it even harder for those who are living on lower or even average incomes, as the very high cost of living can make it difficult for people to make ends meet.”

She said the recent £20 cut in Universal Credit uplift will stretch many budgets to breaking point.

Cllr Bishop-Firth said that she would like to see more questions in the survey about housing costs.

“One major issue in Wokingham is the fact that many working people have to pay very high rents for a small place to live, and this leaves too many struggling to pay their other living costs,” she said.

“We would have preferred that this survey had taken the opportunity to understand more about these pressures.”

She added: “It also doesn’t ask about a number of other, very important issues that can leave residents struggling financially — such as late payment of benefits.”

Her other concerns include the affordability of school uniforms, and access to a dignified funeral through borough council support.

Cllr Halsall said that some opposition councillors had a chance to shape the survey.

“We are really on the first rungs of our anti-poverty strategy,” he said.

“While the opposition may not think this is sufficiently ambitious, they are party to the strategy and play a leading role in determining it.

“In a sense, they are criticising themselves.

“If they think the emphasis is wrong, they have every ability to influence the emphasis.”

Cllr Halsall added that the borough council has been working closely with residents, partners in the voluntary sector, and council colleagues to understand more about financial hardship in the borough.

“This isn’t about quick fixes,” he said. “It’s about long-term changes that will make a real difference to our residents.

“The strategy is focused on anti-poverty, and there are clearly drivers to this: food, housing, heating, and energy are the main drivers. We’re trying to tackle all of them, but we’re not trying to do the same job as the government.”

Cllr Rachel Burgess, leader of Wokingham Labour said that it is vital that the voluntary sector is fully consulted and involved with the strategy.

“We must draw on their knowledge and experience for this strategy to have meaningful impact,” she said. “But the council cannot waive its own responsibilities and simply pass them to the voluntary sector. The council needs to ensure that it is delivering on its own schemes to alleviate poverty.”

Cllr Burgess said that there has been a significant decrease in the number of residents helped through the Local Welfare Provision Scheme.

“[It] exists to provide immediate financial support to households facing an emergency situation,” she said. “However the number of people helped by this scheme has fallen by 76% since 2016-17, with just 21 people helped in 2020-21.

“In 2019-20 just £3,000 was spent providing support through this scheme at a time when foodbank usage was trebling.”

She added: “The Conservatives are happy to support giving out blankets to people in Wokingham borough who need them because they are cold, but remain entirely silent on the cut in Universal Credit and the massive impact this is already having on our residents.

“Instead of focusing on providing the right support to residents, they tell residents who need a blanket that turning their heating down will save the planet.

“An insult to anyone who is struggling to heat their home — my residents deserve proper support, not to be patronised.”

Cllr Burgess questioned whether the Conservative party can be “trusted” to tackle poverty.

“Who would trust a party that has overseen more than 11 years of austerity policies, a party who recognised during the pandemic that Universal Credit is not enough to live on, but then cruelly withdrew the £20 per week Universal Credit uplift and left claimants £1,000 per year worse off.

“While top Conservatives are enjoying their luxury holidays and gold wallpaper, hundreds of families in my ward are now £1,000 per year worse off and turning to their local foodbank as they can’t afford to feed their children.”

Cllr Burgess said that rising energy prices, £20 cut in Universal Credit uplift, and a rise in National Insurance are a “triple whammy” for residents.

“Families are struggling with the cost of living.

“The Conservatives have no coherent plan to help people facing these challenges, and that means that however impactful a local strategy is, my residents will continue to struggle.”

There will be a further consultation on the draft strategy early next year. n