Interim Financial Inclusion Strategy 2023-25 – Themes & Delivery Priorities Annex A

Themes & Priorities

Priority from other and 10 Year strategies

Theme: Food Insufficiency

Priorities:

u Deliver against the council’s food motion ‘York Residents’ Right to Food’ producing solutions coproduced with foodbanks and grass roots community organisations.

u Understand our food insufficiency landscape through regional research project work and utilise outputs in developing solutions.

u Financial Inclusion Steering Group to monitor provision and demand data and adjust our joint response

u A strategic and citywide approach developed linked to climate change, impact on health and skills (especially in relation to children), healthy eating within a circular economy

u Support community groups to develop the local sharing/circular economy e.g. repair café, library of things, community fridge, food redistribution centres

u Expand networks facilitating the donation of edible surplus food to food banks across the city

Climate Change Strategy

All contribute to Health & Wellbeing Strategy goal around addressing health inequalities

Theme: Cost of Energy

Priority from other and 10 Year strategies

Priorities:

u Financial Inclusion Steering Group to monitor data and determine our joint response eg high cost homes/low income families spend on fuel working with York Community Energy, Warmer Homes York, York Energy Advice.

u Use available data to target early intervention and prevention work (eg homes being cut-off by suppliers) on a partnership basis

u Keeping warm and well –use the Community Furniture Store model to generate giving and receiving eg carpets & curtains

u Monitor and map of fuel voucher usage against other deprivation indicators to drive targeted work.

u Develop funding solutions for warm spaces for a 2^nd year developing further the Community Hubs network.

u Cross refer to related actions in the Climate Change Strategy 2023-2033 and Housing Retrofit actions (see below)

Eg Work with partners towards a “one stop shop” energy advice centre service

Climate Change Strategy

Theme: Housing Insecurity

· Renters

· Homeowners

Priority from other and 10 Year strategies

Priorities:

u Review solutions for housing related debt advice

u Provide advice on affordable housing and finances for students (Summit)

u Financial Inclusion Steering Group to monitor indicators of housing debt better understand how partnership working with the council’s Housing Services, Housing Options and Private Rented Sector teams could enhance prevention and early intervention work

u Ensure Discretionary Housing Payments are sufficient through grant funding where appropriate

u Housing supply increase through the Housing Delivery Programme and Local Plan – including social rent and affordable shared purchase

u Targeted energy retrofit and quick fix support* to address fuel poverty and climate change and short, medium and long-term cross-tenure energy saving retrofit investments through the council’s Residential Retrofit Action Plan.

*such as low energy light bulbs, loft insulation, radiator foils, and draught proofing kit

Housing Delivery Programme

Residential Retrofit Action Plan

Climate Change Strategy

Theme: Debt

Priority from other and 10 Year strategies

Priorities:

u Understand the debt landscape in York and develop a joint response (similar to food sufficiency review)

u Assess the capacity of formal debt advice in the city and understand mechanisms and funding to increase support where needed

u Learn from Council Tax debt support pilot being run by CYC to inform debt management and recovery policies at the council from a whole debt perspective

u Adopt a warning and informing prevention approach

u As part of this promote education and information relating to good debt choices (affordable and budgeted) as opposed to bad debt choices( eg illegal money lending and unaffordable)

Theme: Advice and Community/Voluntary Services

Priority from other and 10 Year strategies

Priorities:

u To advocate and generate solutions for supporting and resourcing Advice York to in order to develop a ‘no wrong door’ approach to accessing advice services, ensuring that crisis situations are resolved at the first point of contact while being helped to access specialist support services including housing support, debt advice, mental health support where available and advocacy services.

u Advocate and continue to support the development of:

u the community hub model with advice, support available locally and at home where appropriate

u support the cash first, wrap around, longer-term, preventative, model to ensure people are claim all support available, ongoing benefits and reducing outgoings

u Support work on cross city advice lottery bid to increase Advice York partner resources

u Work with the VCSE sector to develop solutions to address the following areas of concern (Summit):

u Capacity and waiting lists especially where financial and energy advice is given

u Cost of living increases are not built into contracts

u Energy costs

u Staff retention and staff income

u Work together with and support the voluntary sector more closely and extensively.

Theme: Remove Barriers and Enable Change

o reduce inequalities

o digital inclusion

o accessible information

Priority from other and 10 Year strategies

Reduce Inequalities

All data monitored by FISG will be reviewed through an equalities lens to identify those groups who are impacted detrimentally due to their protected characteristics and/or complex needs and solutions targeted at reducing any inequality of access to support and solutions.

Address Digital Exclusion

Financial Inclusion Steering Group to monitor the work of the 100% Digital Partnership and delivery plans for effectiveness

Provision of accessible information, advice and guidance

In a variety of formats to those most in need-so people have as much information, choice, control over and opportunities to change what they can in terms of maximising access to welfare support and access to earned income opportunities.

Developing Equalities Objectives work

Health & Wellbeing Strategy goal around addressing health inequalities

Developing All Age Information & Advice Strategy

Theme: Transport Costs (Summit)

u Encourage car sharing scheme in the city to reduce number of individual car journeys

u Continuous delivery of a behaviour change programme on cycling and walking to encourage non -car modes as the best choice for short journey

u Provide cycle training for staff and residents

u Review public transport discounts for those on benefits, young people, older people and disabled people (Summit)

u Develop strategy around travel support for learners (Summit)

u Monitor the impacts of increased transport costs on essential travel, such as hospital appointments, transport to work and rural communities, and consider these as part of wider cost of living support.

Climate Change Strategy

The Bus Service Improvement Plan October 2021 includes Commitments T1 to T8 on Fares and Ticketing The funding for this has come from the Department for Transport for the period 2022- 2025..

The Draft Local Transport Strategy

Theme: Support to Business (Summit)

u Work within and across communities to provide access to skills for employment and self-employment for all

o Support entry-level and basic skills (including maths, English, digital skills, employability and transferable skills)

o Enhance skills opportunities and information, advice and guidance for entrepreneurs and those seeking self-employment with a focus on hard-to-reach communities

o Utilise talent more effectively so that people from all backgrounds get better chances to access good jobs

u Support local businesses to increase productivity and build resilience through training and upskilling their workforce

o Invest in the sectors that drive prosperity in York

o Support businesses to access talent, tailored provision and support for upskilling

o Focus on helping small and micro businesses to thrive

o Encourage York businesses to offer a broader range of part-time roles

u Work in partnership to create a flexible city-wide skills system that responds to local needs

o Work across the city to join up skills provision and deliver a united and streamlined skills offer

o Ensure skills provision is aligned to future growth sectors and skills needs in the city

o Embed the business voice into provision and planning by fostering more links between Further Education, Higher Education, Independent Training Providers and businesses

u Through high-quality skills provision and a culture of lifelong learning, ensure a pipeline of talent that meets business needs and attracts, trains, retains and retrains people in the city

o Focus on occupations in highest demand (eg nurses, caregivers, software developers) and help people who are underrepresented in high-value professions to enter them

o Increase apprenticeships especially at higher levels and in science and technology-based industries o Ensure the talent pipeline of graduates and people with higher-level skills is enhanced and aligned with priority sectors

o Support those seeking part-time work to make the most of their abilities and find good flexible jobs

Thriving businesses:

u Help York businesses to access the full range of talent available across the city, particularly in communities that job adverts are not currently reaching

u Businesses helping businesses through York based support – either funding, training and/or volunteering. (Summit)

An economy driven by innovation and good business:

u Encourage more businesses to sign up to the Good Business Charter, embedding responsible and ethical business practises, ensuring York remains the leading Good Business Charter City

u Support businesses to act as place leaders in their community, with strong links between businesses and communities working to inspire the future workforce

u Work collaboratively with the childcare sector so parents are supported in taking on employment, children’s development is progressed and providers are able to sustainably grow

u Work with employers to ensure that job opportunities are available to all communities across York and that recruitment advertising reaches all potential applicants

Economic Strategy

10 Year Skills Strategy

Economic Strategy