TACKLING the cost of living crisis is to be confirmed as a key priority for Colchester Council’s new administration.
A package of measures to support struggling residents is among the suggestions to be considered when the council’s cabinet meets on Wednesday.
Along with a pledge to continue to work with the Government and community partners to expand existing support, additional measures will be implemented to target those most in need.
A three-point plan will focus resources on crisis support, increasing the level of help available and reducing further hardship, a council statement reads.
Council leader David King said: “We can and will reduce the worry, the challenge, and the loneliness of hard times.”
As a matter of priority, the authority says it will intervene “immediately” to support Colchester’s foodbanks as demand continues to rise and donations fall.
Support will also be ramped up through a suite of measures which focus on providing advice and support to prevent extreme hardship, along with a review of the Local Council Tax Support Scheme to provide additional support for residents in 2023/24.
Residents experiencing fuel poverty will be offered access to energy efficiency and active travel options, to reduce their energy costs and help tackle the climate emergency.
And wider opportunities from the Town Deal and Levelling Up Fund will be pursued, to achieve a step-change in tackling inequalities, including further employment opportunities.
Mr King said: “Times are getting harder for many residents. They will worry about today and what comes next, and this winter.
“We will help them or connect people in crisis to those who can, and we will help those, like the foodbanks, who help others.
“Our residents should be reassured this administration has at its heart their wellbeing and we are working quickly and diligently to muster and deploy the resources at our disposal, with the help of our partners.
“We will help those who need it most. We will stand on the side of our residents, and we will do all we can to help the most financially vulnerable in our communities, for however long it takes.”
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