Work to tackle poverty and inequalities releases £12.5 million to Aberdeenshire residents
The continuing work to tackle poverty and inequalities has released more than £12.5 million to support people across Aberdeenshire in the past year, councillors have been told.
Details of work undertaken under the Tackling Poverty and Inequalities Strategic Partnership were presented to Aberdeenshire Council’s Communities Committee in September as part of an annual report of activity.
Councillors were also updated on efforts to tackle child poverty through the work of the council, NHS Grampian, and other community planning partners.
The annual report before councillors outlined a number of key achievements of the Partnership, whose aims are to reduce the number of children and people living in poverty, to prevent others falling into poverty, to enable children to live poverty-free in adult life, and to improve the wellbeing of people in poverty.
Through the provision of a wide range of projects, services, advice, and support, the Partnership:
• Supported nearly 12,000 households, families, and individuals to access a variety of information and advice services, providing a total £12,523,808 of financial benefit
• Reduced costs for approaching 12,900 households, including nearly 1,500 to reduce fuel poverty, and almost 3,800 to reduce food insecurity
• Supported almost 970 individuals, close to 300 young people, and more than 520 parents to improve employability and secure employment
In addition, more than 1,000 individuals took part in wellbeing projects to improve their health outcomes over the past year, through the delivery of workshops, training and events supported by more than 1,100 people with lived experience of poverty and involving nearly 450 children and young people.
Councillors welcomed the report, noting some of the pressures particularly faced by those in rural communities in terms of access to transport and childcare.
The committee also agreed that the council should continue in the Tackling Poverty and Inequalities Strategic Partnership for a further three years.
The committee went on to support a new Information and Advice Strategy for Aberdeenshire, developed following a detailed review of current and future provision that took place earlier this year.
The framework for the strategy will provide a mix of commissioned community-based services to provide advice around welfare rights, money, housing, and employability. Specialist advice services and pathways of support will also be developed, along with a pilot digital solution to allow individuals to access information directly.
Communities Committee chair Cllr Anne Stirling said: “A great deal has been achieved by the Partnership over the past year. The focus in Aberdeenshire is very much on early intervention and prevention, tackling the root causes of poverty and building capability among those facing or at risk of poverty.
“I’d like to thank all those who continue to work so hard to deliver a wide, person-centred range of services and support that is making a real difference. In particular, the input from those who have lived experience of poverty has been fundamental in helping develop the right support in the right places. There is still much work to do, but to see so many people supported to improve their situations is very encouraging.”