Falkirk Council: Politicians unite as extra £1m put in poverty fund

Members of Falkirk Council’s executive heard today (Tuesday) that with spiralling food and fuel prices, a quarter of parents now say they are worried about being able to provide food for their families. And the council wants to make it as easy as possible for people who are finding things difficult to get help.

Falkirk Council staff across all departments are now being trained in how to help people who are in poverty get all the support they are entitled to.

An estimated £36 million worth of benefits goes unclaimed every year in the Falkirk area – according to national figures – and the council wants to make it as easy as possible for people to find out exactly what they are entitled to.

In a rare show of unity, the proposals were put forward by the SNP council leader, Cecil Meiklejohn, and seconded by Labour group leader Anne Hannah. The Conservatives and Independents also offered their support.

The council’s Income Maximisation Strategy sets out how it wants to improve knowledge of poverty, not just among council staff but also those in the third sector who directly work with households and communities

It also wants to develop simple, easy to use tools and resources – such as the online benefits calculator – that mean households can check their own eligibility for benefits and in-kind support or support others to do so.

Sally Buchanan, Fairer Falkirk manager, said: “We’re really keen to make sure that everyone in Falkirk knows how to get help. This isn’t just about staff having information for the people they are working with – it’s everyone having information for your next door neighbour or your auntie or whoever it might be, so you can say ‘let’s check what you’re getting and find you some more help to claim’.

People who do not have access to the internet are reminded that they can go to their local library, where they can use a computer and WiFi for free and where staff are being trained to offer support to anyone who needs it when checking benefits or applying for help.

Members of Falkirk Council’s executive agreed to use funding from the Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery fund that had not been spent.

Three separate funds for business – Energy Efficiency Fund, Digital Development Grants and Resilience Grants – have all seen low claims, largely due to other support being available during the crisis.

Members were told that new funding is now available for businesses in need of support but the Household Support Fund was continuing to see very high levels of demand.

Members agreed to use £504,000 of the covid funding to enable it to continue over the winter.

This will be added to £250,000 from the Housing Revenue Account and £250k from reserves, previously agreed by councillors.

Councillors also agreed to fund extra support for council tenants through ten additional staff in housing who will be able to help those in or at risk of poverty. This will include six housing officers and four support staff.

Since September 2022 the Household Support Fund has made 3723 payments to low-income households supporting 4336 adults and 3,009 children. At March 3, 2023, the total cost of these payments was £661,240.