Telford council preparing measures to tackle cost of living crisis

The authority will be voting on Thursday to confirm its Cost of Living Strategy, a series of measures to support residents. The council is preparing for a particularly challenging winter, as the crisis is set to hit the borough's residents harder than much of the UK, given the high numbers of households on low incomes.

Proposed measures include an immediate investment of £128,000 into the council's emergency welfare fund as well as £90,000 in funding to local food banks.

Council tax is set to see a two-year freeze and households on a reduced rate of council tax due to low income will see a further reduction in March 2023. Residents would also be offered a council tax payment 'holiday' in January to help during the period of high winter bills.

Additional proposed measures aim to reduce energy costs, including the distribution of free low-energy lightbulbs and a £1.44m grant-funded programme of insulation works.

Grants of up to £5,000 would become available for community groups, towns and parish councils as well as schools, to put on new or extend existing activities that will ease hardship over winter. Warm spaces, hot meal provisions and cost of living information are among the range of activities targeted by the scheme.

Transportation is also targeted by the measures, with the commissioning of a new Work Express bus link, providing cheap transport between South Telford and the industrial estates, where costs are capped at £2.

In the strategy, Telford & Wrekin Council's leader, Shaun Davies, said the plans would provide help for the areas where it was needed most.

"The effects of the crisis will not be evenly felt, with certain areas and groups of people in the borough disproportionately impacted," Councillor Davies said.

"That is why this strategy sets out additional support that we will be delivering to target help where it is most needed.

"Like everyone, the council itself is being affected by significant cost increases. However, despite this, we are prioritising funding this extra support, whilst also freezing council tax for the next two years.

"We will also join with other councils and partners outside of Telford & Wrekin in calling on the Government to take immediate action to help the millions of people up and down the country who are already struggling to make ends meet, and to work with us to deliver long-term solutions that tackle the root causes of poverty and inequality."

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation charity has calculated that a single person needs to earn £25,500 and a couple with two children need to earn £43,400 to meet the minimum income standard - a benchmark used to determine whether someone is in financial need.

Two-thirds of households in the borough have an estimated annual income under £40,000, with a third of those having a household income below £20,000 - almost twice the national average. This is well below the acceptable standard of living, even for a single person.

Stark contrasts in household income across the borough mean the most deprived areas will suffer disproportionately from the cost of living crisis. Fifty-three per cent of households in Malinslee & Dawley are on incomes less than £20,000 per year, compared to 15 per cent of households in Admaston and Bratton.

A copy of the strategy is available at democracy.telford.gov.uk