Lincoln AntiPoverty Action Plan 201516 201617 James Wilkinson

Lincoln Anti-Poverty Action Plan 2015/16 -2016/17 James Wilkinson Anti-Poverty Programme Lead City of Lincoln Council Lincoln Against Poverty @lincolnvpoverty www. lincolnagainstpoverty. co. uk

Actions in the Lincoln Anti-Poverty Action Plan 2015/16 – 2016/17 Lincoln Against Poverty @lincolnvpoverty www. lincolnagainstpoverty. co. uk

Objective: Helping people maximise their income Programme: Increasing money management skills and confidence Project: Pilot a letter amnesty in St. Giles • Concern raised at LAPC 2015 that some residents struggled to cope under a mountain of debt letters • Good practice was identified where an existing Debt Letter Amnesty had been run by a partner in Birchwood • Recommendation by delegates at LAPC 2015 to trial this elsewhere Lincoln Against Poverty @lincolnvpoverty www. lincolnagainstpoverty. co. uk

Objective: Making the move into work easier Programme: Moving people into training Project: Delivering 600 training courses to people who may struggle to afford the fees • COLC Revenues and Benefit Team identified a need • Some residents were not entitled to certain free education courses because their income was too high, but they struggled to pay for the fees themselves • COLC bid for funding to provide 600 educational courses to people who were not automatically passported to free courses • These are now being delivered by Lincoln College Lincoln Against Poverty @lincolnvpoverty www. lincolnagainstpoverty. co. uk

Objective: Helping people maximise their income Programme: More help when the household budget runs out Project: Council Tax Discount Scheme existing support continued for 2015/16 • From April 2013 funding for the national Council Tax Benefit scheme was reduced for working age people • Councils had to decide whether to pass on this reduction in funding to work age residents, or to maintain the support by finding a way to meet this shortfall • Since then, City of Lincoln Council has maintained the discount for working age residents • Overall: • 9, 726 Lincoln residents (of all ages) benefit from the Lincoln Council Tax Discount Scheme • It puts £ 7. 5 m into the hands of Lincoln residents Lincoln Against Poverty @lincolnvpoverty www. lincolnagainstpoverty. co. uk

Objective: Breaking the link between poor health and poverty Programme: Helping those facing poverty due to illness Project: Helping Hand Summer Campaign 2015 • The strong link between poor health and poverty was raised by delegates at LAPC 2015 • The need for signposting information to advice agencies was raised • The Summer Helping Hand Campaign was launched and ran from July to September 2015 • Supported by all 16 GP Surgeries in the city, along with Lloyds Pharmacy and Lincolnshire Cooperative Pharmacies, the campaign distributed: • More than 7, 500 posters, leaflets and advice cards distributed Lincoln Against Poverty @lincolnvpoverty www. lincolnagainstpoverty. co. uk

Objective: Helping people maximise their income Programme: Increasing money management skills and confidence Project: Helping Hand Christmas Campaign 2015 • LAPC 2015 delegates noted the importance of ensuring families with dependent children received signposting materials • In response, the Helping Hand Christmas Campaign was launched. • It had a citywide reach, but there was a particular focus on distributing via schools • 22 different organisations supported the campaign • 800 posters were distributed • 1, 600 advice cards were distributed • 6, 000 leaflets were distributed Lincoln Against Poverty Est. 1, 800 families / 2, 500 children reached @lincolnvpoverty www. lincolnagainstpoverty. co. uk

Objective: Breaking the link between poor health and poverty Programme: Helping to stop poverty making people ill Project: Promote food banks to allotment tenants • Partners highlighted the issue of food poverty in the city, and queried whether or not excess food could be diverted to those experiencing food hunger • 820 allotment tenants contacted Lincoln Against Poverty @lincolnvpoverty www. lincolnagainstpoverty. co. uk

Objective: Helping with the cost of raising a child Programme: Supporting families to feed and clothe their children Project: School uniform pop-up shops • From an idea at LAPC 2015 to create a way to distribute second hand school uniforms without stigmatising • The first school uniform pop-up shop has taken place at Monks Abbey Primary School with a number of families benefiting • Two more are being planned at Hartsholme Academy and St. Giles Academy • Discussions are also taking place with two more schools in the city Lincoln Against Poverty @lincolnvpoverty www. lincolnagainstpoverty. co. uk

Objective: Helping people maximise their income Programme: Increase income Project: Making Lincoln Living Wage Campaign Paying £ 8. 25 an hour ensures a basic standard of living for your staff Become accredited for free at: www. lincolnagainstpoverty. co. uk/signup