Rising costs are affecting us all and making things difficult for many people across Redcar and Cleveland.
We have put together a 30 point plan which outlines how we are going to help and support residents throughout Redcar and Cleveland with the cost of living.
- Establish a cross party Member Task and Finish Group on the cost-of-living crisis
- Utilise libraries and youth and community centres as ‘warm spaces’ for residents who cannot afford to heat their homes
- Promote to residents other council buildings, local businesses and voluntary and community organisations which offer warm spaces to residents who cannot afford to heat their homes.
- Work with schools to share money-saving initiatives
- Build a cost of living section on the Council’s website which gives useful information to residents
- Use the Council’s Making Every Contact Count tool to communicate key information about cost of living support
- Promote cost of living support at Festival of Thrift
- Council staff across all departments will contribute to helping residents with the cost of living
- Use the South Tees Wellbeing Network – which consists of health-related organisations covering Redcar and Cleveland and Middlesbrough – to promote the cost of living agenda
- Work with voluntary groups to help provide initiatives in communities across the borough which will help support residents with the cost of living
- Promote help with the cost of living to residents who may not be able to access online information
- Secure any available funding which may be able to help residents with the cost of living
- Provide practical help for our most vulnerable residents through ‘warm and well’ packages
- Provide voluntary organisations with support to provide help to residents through cost of living activities
- Promote the work of the South Tees Affordable Warmth Partnership which provides energy advice and support schemes to residents. Further details about the partnership are available here
- Work with voluntary organisations to provide ‘healthy cooking on a budget’ sessions to residents
- Develop a map showing where residents can get help with feeding their family from organisations such as food banks
- Our trading standards team will monitor any cost of living scams to keep residents safe
- Fund Redcar and Cleveland Mind to provide additional support to residents whose mental wellbeing is affected by the rising cost of living
- Our housing adaptations team will provide items to vulnerable adults to help them keep warm and well
- Our housing adaptations team will carry out ‘warm and well’ assessments to improve heat retention in the homes of our most vulnerable residents
- Our reablement and independence team will carry out ‘warm and well’ assessments to our most vulnerable residents who use the service
- We will temporarily subsidise charges for meals and transport for residents using our older people’s day services
- The Community Care and Support Provider Forum will be encouraged to be aware of any cost of living impacts and to raise alerts or referrals as required through our Adult Social Care team.
- Where appropriate, we will issue Thermos flasks for hot drinks if adults with care and support needs are unable to make themselves a hot drink
- We will support unpaid carers, via voluntary and community groups, to provide guidance and items to help vulnerable people stay warm and well
- The Meadowgate Centre will offer a hot meal and a social event once a week to previous users of the service who live alone with no family support
- The Dunes Bistro will offer meals to the over-65s via the ‘Too Good to Go’ app
- Events will be held at community venues across the borough to ensure residents access all the benefits to which they are entitled
- The Council’s communication channels will publicise events – organised by the council and community groups and organisations – across the borough