Content

8.1

The Director of Policy and Democratic
Engagement submitted a report that provides an update on the
cross-partner response to the Cost-of-Living Crisis. It summarises
the support we have put in place to date and how we have
implemented the action plan and recommendations agreed by this
committee in previous reports in May and July 2022.
 
The report makes recommendations relating to
how we can learn from and build on the work already done to
continue to support communities with the challenges ahead.
Including plans to:
 
• Invest £400,000 across the LACs,
ringfenced to address the cost-of-living crisis
• Build on our Welcome Places model to
support communities across the city
• Arm frontline staff with the
information they need to link communities with the right support
when they need it
• Make it easier for the people who need
it most to access £10.4 million Household Support Fund and
other hardship support over the coming year
• Improve access to food using
£150,000 of South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
funding to support food banks -and community pantries in our
neighbourhoods.
 
The report outlines our approach to planning
for the upcoming winter, data insights about the continuing impacts
of Cost-of-Living crisis on our city and how this work can
contribute to a long-term, strategic plan to prevent and reduce
poverty and inequality in Sheffield.

 

 

8.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That
Strategy and Resources Policy Committee:-
 

 

(a) notes the approach and work undertaken to
respond to the Cost-of-Living Crisis to date, in line with the
strategy agreed by Strategy and Resources Committee, and approve a
continuation of the cross-partner incident response arrangement and
governance structure;
 
(b) notes the insights from our data dashboard
and the latest available research, what it tells us about the
impact of the Cost-of-Living Crisis across Sheffield and the likely
impact over the year ahead;
 
(c) agrees the approach to planning for the
winter ahead, including plans to develop and sustain welcome
places, learn lessons from the past year and build on the
infrastructure we’ve put in place;
 
(d) agrees that Strategy and Resources
Committee will receive further updates on the response; and
 
(e) notes that the funding for the
Cost-of-Living Support Hub ends in March 2024 and endorse the
proposed work to develop a long-term strategic approach to
preventing and reducing poverty and inequality in Sheffield.

 

 

8.3

Reasons for
Decision

 

 

8.3.1

The recommendations build on the commitments
made by the Strategy and Resources Committee to support
Sheffielders through the cost-of-living
crisis. Working with communities and partners across the city, the
recommendations ensure that SCC will continue to play a leading
role through the strategic and tactical incident type response

 

 

8.4

Alternatives
Considered and Rejected

 

 

8.4.1

Stop our response. Dismissed as supporting our
communities and businesses through the cost-of-living crisis is
critical to the wellbeing of our city. We are committed to standing
alongside communities in the face of the crisis.

 

 

8.4.2

Continue as is. Sustain our response as is the
current. Dismissed as while there has been some excellent
collaboration to support our communities, we need to continue to
review and adapt our approach in response to the changing crisis.
Further, we need to focus on the forthcoming challenge of winter
2023/24 and pivoting towards a longer term, sustained approach to
tackling poverty in Sheffield.

 

 

8.4.3

Move to a wholly preventative approach.
Rejected because of continuing acute need to provide support for
people facing crisis now and in the immediate future.