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Agenda item
Anti-Poverty Strategy Refresh
(Cabinet Decision)
Minutes:
This item was moved up the agenda with the agreement of the Chair.
The Assistant Director, Housing and Built Environment, presented a report which advised Cabinet of a refresh of the anti-poverty strategy, ahead of its adoption by the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP). The existing strategy had been developed to address the impact of the recession and reforms to the welfare system on vulnerable groups. It was necessary to update the strategy to reflect current economic conditions and changes to the structure of public and voluntary organisations. The proposed strategy identified the three priority areas of education and employment, health and wellbeing and housing. The strategy also included a commitment to produce an annual statement detailing key achievements and challenges faced in the preceding year.
It was noted that partnership working between a range of agencies was essential to effectively addressing poverty. An earlier draft of the strategy had been shared with the LSP and was due to be adopted by the board.
Since the Cabinet agenda had been published, minor amendments had been made to the foreword to the draft strategy.
Councillor Lee proposed an amendment to the draft strategy:
“Amendments to agenda item 10 – anti poverty strategy
1) Page 74 – remove paragraph - Conversely manufacturing jobs are forecast to drop by 13.4% a loss of 1,700 jobs – this is an older statistic in relation to economic growth and is no longer accurate. The adjustment of the value of the pound has seen a jump in manufacturing output.
2) Page 77 – add objective to education and employment: to encourage major national and international enterprise to relocate to the borough, providing opportunity, wealth creation and aspiration for young people.
3) Page 84 – remove welfare reform case study 2: This is very much out of date as ATOS no longer have this contract. More recent examples are required.
4) Page 71 – add table to show the year on year drop in child poverty in the Borough with the following paragraph:
This table shows that the increased attainment of children in Hastings is proportional to the drop in child poverty in the borough. Increased employment in town and a drop in claimant count creates a ‘virtuous cycle’ in which education, increased opportunity and greater household economic activity lessen child poverty.
5) Page 73 – Underneath the paragraph entitled ‘Employment’
These statistics should also be updated the most recent of them are 18 months old. This Paragraph should be corrected to the latest figures or removed.
6) Appendix 2 Children in low –income families
This table shows year on year changes in the number of families on low income, however it only covers the period form 2009 -13 please update the table so clear picture can be shown.”
The proposed amendment was lost by 1 vote for, 6 against.
Councillor Forward suggested the inclusion of a footnote to the strategy explaining that some of the statistics referred to may not be the latest available.
Councillor Forward proposed approval of the recommendations to the Assistant Director, Housing and Built Environment’s report, which was seconded by Councillor Davies.
RESOLVED (unanimously) that:
1. Cabinet recommend the refresh of the Anti-Poverty Strategy ahead of its adoption by the LSP
2. An Annual Statement is produced beginning in April 2017, detailing key actions and challenges faced in the preceding year
The reason for this decision was:
The existing strategy was adopted prior to the implementation of the welfare reform agenda and government spending reduction plans. The strategy is therefore in need of revision to take account of the new economic framework.
Supporting documents:
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