Issue - meetings

The Chair of the Scrutiny Task Group set up to review the impact of Universal Credit in York and the activities being run to promote Financial Inclusion to present the Task Group’s final report and seek approval for the recommendations arising from the review.

[Annex B to Appendix 1 to the above report has not been included in the printed pack but is available to view online]

Resolved:  That the findings of the Scrutiny Task Group be noted and that the recommendations from the review, as set out in paragraph 77 of the Task Group’s final report at Appendix 1 and paragraph 8 of the cover report, be approved.

Reason:     To conclude the Scrutiny Review in line with the council’s Scrutiny procedures and protocols.

Cllr Neil Barnes, Chair of the Scrutiny Task Group set up to review the impact of Universal Credit in York and the activities being run to promote Financial Inclusion, presented the Task Group’s final report and recommendations. Firstly he thanked Officers for their work on financial inclusion. He went on to state that the group felt the system was letting people down and that the Council was there to try and pick up the pieces. He highlighted the following:

·        In terms of Universal Credit, many residents did not understand the system;

·        There had been a dramatic rise in food bank use; and

·        Improvements needed to be made to digital access for residents.

Finally he stated that the report of the Financial Inclusion Steering Group (FISG) should come to Executive regularly, in order to keep this issue on the agenda. The Director of Customer & Corporate Services stated that the FISG  report was usually an update report and this was why it had not historically come to Executive, which was a decision making meeting.

Members thanked the Task Group for thorough report and also asked for their thanks to the FISG and Citizen’s Advice York to be recorded, given their hard work in support of residents dealing with the move to Universal Credit.

Resolved:  That the findings of the Scrutiny Task Group be noted and that the recommendations from the review, as set out in paragraph 77 of the Task Group’s final report at Appendix 1 and paragraph 8 of the cover report, be approved.

Reason:     To conclude the Scrutiny Review in line with the council’s Scrutiny procedures and protocols.