Renfrewshire Council eager to ensure eradicating poverty is 'front and centre' as rates rise

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Council chiefs are eager to make sure eradicating child poverty remains "front and centre" in their work as rates continue to rise steadily in Renfrewshire.The local authority has acknowledged "many families" are still struggling financially because of the stubborn "longevity" of the cost-of-living crisis.

But its leadership believes it can "positively impact" lives and support people into work as figures show around one in five children are living in poverty.That's according to the draft child poverty local action report 2023/24, which will be considered by elected members at Wednesday's leadership board.

In its foreword, chief executive Alan Russell said: "This has been another challenging year for families."Although inflation is coming down and energy prices have reduced slightly, the cost of living remains much higher than in recent years.

The longevity of the cost-of-living crisis means that many families are struggling financially and we recognise the impact of this is much greater for low-income households."Despite the long-term focus and investment into tackling child poverty, child poverty in Renfrewshire has been rising steadily for a number of years, with the most recent figures telling us that around one in five children in Renfrewshire are living in poverty."We know we can positively impact the lives of our families and support them into work and better paid jobs; help them to maximise their income; work with young people so they attain more at school; and support the mental health of families and children.