Minute
North Lanarkshire Council · 3 February 2023
Back to Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Committee — 3 February 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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WELLBEING AND TACKLING POVERTY - 3 FEBRUARY 2023 59 3 February 2023 at 10 am. A Meeting of the WELLBEING AND TACKLING POVERTY COMMITTEE PRESENT Councillor Woods, Convener; Councillor Costello, Vice-Convener; Councillors Barclay, Currie, Goldie, Keltie, Khan, Leckie, Linden, Loughran, McBride, McNally, McPhilemy, Mitchell, Nolan, Reddin, Smith, Stevenson, L. Stubbs, Thomas and Williams. CHAIR Councillor Woods (Convener) presided. IN ATTENDANCE Chief Officer (People Resources); Chief Social Work Officer (Education, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice); Business Finance Manager (Resource Solutions); Development Officer (Equalities); Business Manager, Social Inclusion and Wealth, and Democratic Services Manager. APOLOGIES Councillors Ashraf and Jones DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST IN TERMS OF THE ETHICAL STANDARDS IN PUBLIC LIFE ETC. (SCOTLAND) ACT 2000 1. There were no declarations of interest. DELIVERY FRAMEWORK FOR EQUALITIES 2023/24 2. There was submitted a report by the Chief Officer (People Resources) (1) reminding the Committee that the Council’s current five year Equalities Strategy had been agreed by the former Youth, Equalities and Empowerment Committee in August 2019, covers the years 2019 to 2024, and is underpinned by five corporate objectives which cover both the mainstreaming and workforce related requirements of the Public Sector Equalities Duty; (2) recognising that there is a link between equalities and social economic disadvantage, where evidence identifies that those with protected characteristics are more likely to experience high levels of material deprivation and poverty which will be exacerbated by the ongoing cost of living crisis and associated challenges; (3) reporting that, following the transfer of the Equalities remit to the Chief Officer (People Resources), the Service has undertaken a desktop review of the Equalities Strategy and the current programme of activity underway, which has highlighted that there is a need for the Council to be clear about how the strategy is being delivered and to better set out the significant equalities programmes of work linked to the Council’s ambitions and intentions within The Plan for North Lanarkshire, including support for those who are most disadvantaged; (4) setting out, for consideration and approval, a new delivery framework for equalities which will more clearly outline key areas of focus within the equalities remit and which will be supported by an associated plan of activities and campaigns to support the advancement of the Equalities Strategy in the year ahead, and (5) attaching, as an Appendix to the report, the Equalities Strategy 2019 to 2024. Decided: (1) that the new Delivery Framework for Equalities be approved, and (2) that the work planned and already underway in this area be noted.
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WELLBEING AND TACKLING POVERTY - 3 FEBRUARY 2023 60 THE PLAN FOR ADVANCING RACE EQUALITY IN OUR WORKFORCE, COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS 3. There was submitted a report by the Chief Officer (People Resources) (1) providing information on the ongoing work that has continued to progress from the legacy of the Member/Officer Black Lives Matter Working Group to advance race equality in the Council’s workforce, communities and schools; (2) detailing the extensive quantitative and qualitative information gathering that has been undertaken by the Council to understand the experiences of North Lanarkshire’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) workforce, communities and schools’ environments; (3) summarising the analysis from that information; (4) providing information on activity and outcomes which have been achieved to date; (5) highlighting that action plans were now in place to address the issues which had arisen from this work, and (6) explaining how the plans would be implemented, monitored and reviewed. Decided: (1) that the work as set out within the report be noted; (2) that the action plans and arrangements for monitoring and review be approved, and (3) that progress be reported to Committee through annual reports. CHALLENGE POVERTY WEEK 4. There was submitted a report by the Chief Social Work Officer (Education, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) (1) informing the Committee that the Council had participated in Challenge Poverty Week which had taken place between 3 to 9 October 2022; (2) advising that the week is co- ordinated by the Poverty Alliance and is an opportunity to highlight what is being done to address poverty and to commit to more action in the future; (3) highlighting the background and themes underpinning Challenge Poverty Week and the activities and messaging undertaken by the Council and its partners during that week and its link to the wider tackling poverty strategy and actions, and (4) attaching, as Appendices to the report, the Challenge Poverty Week Programme and an analysis of interactions undertaken during the week. Decided: (1) that the content of the report, and the intention to incorporate analysis and feedback into ongoing tackling poverty actions, be noted, and (2) that the Council’s future participation in Challenge Poverty Week be endorsed. TACKLING POVERTY FINANCIAL SUPPORT UPDATE REPORT 5. There was submitted a report by the Chief Social Work Officer (Education, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) (1) reminding the Committee that on 29 September 2022 the Policy and Strategy Committee had approved the use of the Council's Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery Fund, provided by the Scottish Government for assisting residents with financial support from the recovery of Covid and the cost of living crisis; (2) providing details of the financial support provided by the Council to assist residents with the cost of living crisis, via the NL Child Payment, Fuel Hardship Payment and Pensioner Fuel Grant, and (3) providing statistical information on the activity of the cost of living helpline and reporting that the three main reasons for contacting the helpline were for income maximisation, food insecurity and fuel insecurity. Thereon, the Chief Social Work Officer (Education, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) orally informed the Committee that authority was being sought to provide delegated authority to officers to
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WELLBEING AND TACKLING POVERTY - 3 FEBRUARY 2023 61 realign funding between the various priority strands where this was required to ensure that those in need within communities were able to access the maximum benefits available. Decided: (1) that the outcomes of the financial support provided to residents from the Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery Fund via the Council's NL Child Payment, Fuel Hardship Payment and Pensioner Fuel Grant be noted, and (2) that the approach to realigning funding between priority strands through delegated authority, where required to ensure maximum benefit to those in need in communities, be endorsed. COMMISSIONING OF EXTERNAL ADVICE AND INFORMATION SERVICES 2023-25 6. There was submitted a report by the Chief Social Work Officer (Education, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) (1) informing of proposals for the continued funding of external advice and information services for the period April 2023 to March 2025; (2) seeking approval for the allocation of grant funding to the recommended applicants as detailed within the report; (3) providing background information on the arrangements made for the commissioning of external advice and information services further to the comprehensive review in this area undertaken by the Council during 2016/17 and the approach to recommissioning for provision of these services from April 2021; (4) explaining that the funding is proposed to continue at the current level and is divided into six pots linked to delivery for each of the main localities within North Lanarkshire, with each pot equating to £61,120 per year; (5) advising that from 2021 NHS Lanarkshire has also provided additional funding for Financial Link Workers, with external information and advice services, to work with local GP practices/primary care as part of a programme to enhance access to financial advice and support as a key influence on health and wellbeing; (6) informing that the additional funding from NHS Lanarkshire provides £100,000 per year which is split and added to each of the six pots of local authority funding allowing support to be commissioned through a single process, and (7) attaching, as Appendices to the report, details of the assessment process and scoring matrix. Decided: that the allocation of funding to the recommended applicants, with the provision of external advice and information services for the period 2023 to 2025, as set out in the report, be approved.