Minute
North Lanarkshire Council · 4 November 2022
Back to Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Committee — 4 November 2022 and its agenda
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WELLBEING AND TACKLING POVERTY - 4 NOVEMBER 2022 41 4 November 2022 at 10 am. A Meeting of the WELLBEING AND TACKLING POVERTY COMMITTEE PRESENT Councillor Woods, Convener; Councillor Costello, Vice-Convener; Councillors Carragher, Currie, Goldie, Khan, Leckie, Linden, MacGregor, McManus, McNally, McPhilemy, Mitchell, Nolan, Smith, L. Stubbs, Sullivan, Thomas and Williams. ALSO PRESENT In accordance with Standing Order 64(A) Councillors Fisher, D. Johnston and McLaren attended as substitutes for Councillors Jones, Keltie and Stevenson respectively. IN ATTENDANCE Head of Children, Families and Justice Social Work/Chief Social Work Officer; Head of People and Organisational Development; Head of Regulatory Services and Waste Solutions; Equalities Manager; Area Community Partnership Manager; Business Manager, Solution Inclusion, and Democratic Services Manager. CHAIR Councillor Woods (Convener) presided. APOLOGIES Councillors Jones, Keltie and Stevenson. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST IN TERMS OF THE ETHICAL STANDARDS IN PUBLIC LIFE ETC. (SCOTLAND) ACT 2000 1. There were no declarations of interest. PRESENTATION – AN OVERVIEW OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR EQUALITIES DUTY 2. There was submitted a presentation by the Head of People and Organisational Development providing the Committee with an overview of the Council’s responsibility in relation to its Public Sector Equality Duty, together with other aspects of equalities legislation and requirements. Decided: that the presentation be noted. PRESENTATION – TACKLING POVERTY IN NORTH LANARKSHIRE 3. There was submitted a presentation by the Business Manager, Tackling Poverty providing details to the Committee of the work of officers in relation to tackling poverty, how this work was undertaken, including processes followed, together with information on outcome monitoring. Decided: that the presentation be noted.
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WELLBEING AND TACKLING POVERTY - 4 NOVEMBER 2022 42 PROGRAMME OF WORK (P005.1(2) & (3)) – TACKLING POVERTY AND MAXIMISING THE LOCAL AUTHORITY ECONOMIC RECOVERY FUND 4. In reference to paragraph 6 of the Minute of the meeting of the Policy and Strategy Committee held on 29 September 2022 there was submitted a report by the Head of Children, Families and Justice Services/Chief Social Work Officer (1) providing an update on the implementation of the Tackling Poverty Strategy and the improved outcomes which have been achieved; (2) providing an Annual Child Poverty Action Report, covering the previous years activities and outlining future plans in line with statutory requirements and the Plan for North Lanarkshire, and (3) informing of the proposed approaches of the use of the Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery (LACER) funding from the Scottish Government for 2022-23 for the purposes of (a) tackling financial insecurity, and (b) fuel hardship payment. Decided: (1) that the contents of the report, and the approval of the Policy and Strategy Committee future actions, be noted, and (2) that updates on associated activity be provided through reports to the next Cycle of this Committee. COST OF LIVING RESPONSE 5. In reference to paragraph 5 of the Minute of the meeting of the Policy and Strategy Committee held on 29 September 2022 there was submitted a report by the Head of Regulatory Services and Waste Solutions (1) commenting that the cost of living crisis in the UK is creating unprecedented pressures on people already in poverty and that thousands of people in North Lanarkshire will be forced into fuel poverty and will require to take difficult life decisions; (2) indicating that those supports coming from both the UK and Scottish Governments are evolving, but irrespective of this, the coming Winter months will be extremely challenging for a significant number of households, and (3) outlining which current initiatives and assistance were currently in place within North Lanarkshire and what further assistance could be delivered. Thereon, the Area Community Partnership Manager provided an oral update regarding the distribution of funds and ongoing engagement with Community Groups together with information regarding monitoring arrangements of the use of those funds by Community Groups. Decided: that the contents of the report, and the decision of the Policy and Strategy Committee to support the recommendations contained within the report, be acknowledged.