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Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for Transformation
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: No
To approve the final Anti-Poverty Strategy following public consultation.
Matter for
Decision
The City Council has developed an Anti-Poverty Strategy.
The Officer’s report set out the results of public
consultation on a draft version of the Strategy between 27 October 2014 and 30
January 2015. It sought approval for a final version of the Strategy, which
addressed the main points raised by respondents to the consultation.
The City Council received accreditation from the Living Wage
Foundation as a Living Wage employer on 3 November 2014, and appointed a Living
Wage Coordinator in November 2014 to promote the Living Wage to businesses and
organisations in Cambridge. The Officer’s report summarised progress to date
and proposed an action plan for future work.
The Fuel and Water Poverty Action Plan had been developed in
response to the ‘Anti-Poverty Strategy’, which acknowledged the problem of
increasing energy and water costs on lower income residents contributing to
poverty in the city. Following research and consultation a series of actions
had been identified focussing predominantly on low income households. The aim
of the Action Plan was to reduce the number of households in fuel and/or water
poverty across the city. This report sought approval for the key areas of focus
in the Action Plan.
Decision
of Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources
i.
Approved the final
Anti-Poverty Strategy (Appendix E of the Officer’s report).
ii.
Approved the Living Wage
Action Plan (Appendix C).
iii.
Approved the
key areas of focus for the Fuel and Water Poverty Action Plan (Appendix D).
Reason for the Decision
As set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny
Considerations
The Committee received a report from the Strategy and Partnerships
Manager.
The Committee commented in response to the report that the Council
should encourage organisations to pay the living wage in Cambridge and work
with the Living Wage Forum to do this. This included businesses, higher/further
education establishments and charities.
In response to Members’ questions the Strategy and Partnerships Manager
said the following:
i.
A pilot scheme was being undertaken in the city to
ensure that those living on low incomes across the city have access to
information and support to benefit from opportunities to reduce their energy
and water costs. This would be reviewed, and if it led to benefits, would be
rolled out to Housing Association tenants.
ii.
There is a countywide energy supplier switching
scheme, which has limited coverage. The City Council periodically ran its own
scheme, but there was no formal connection between the two.
iii.
The Council was trying to learn from other cities’
living wage schemes. The intention was to engage as many businesses as
possible. The Living Wage Forum and Co-ordinator were engaging with national
chains. Some national chains allowed more local policy decision making than
others, which affected engagement with the living wage scheme. There had been
some success with companies who have headquarters in Cambridge.
The Executive Councillor for Finance and
Resources said that consumers had a big impact on business.
iv.
Some organisations (including sub-contractors) had
signed up to living wage accreditation. Others said they paid the living wage
but hadn’t got accreditation. Some organisations had not engaged in the process.
Encouraging organisations to pay the living wage and get accreditation would
get momentum for greater buy-in.
v.
The Council was looking to influence organisations
to pay the living wage, rather than dictate to them, as there were legal
implications if the Council refused to work with an organisation who was not
living wage accredited.
The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the recommendations.
The Executive Councillor
approved the recommendations.
Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor
(and any Dispensations Granted)
No conflicts of interest
were declared by the Executive Councillor.
Publication date: 26/06/2015
Date of decision: 23/03/2015