Tackling cost-of-living pressures
Councillors have taken steps to ease pressure on Lincoln residents’ during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
City of Lincoln Council agreed two amended motions relating to the Winter Fuel Allowance and the Two-Child Benefit Cap at its October full council meeting on
The government has introduced means testing for Winter Fuel Allowance Payments and announced it will lift the two-child limit only when fiscal conditions allow members felt there was a need for robust local action.
The first amendment reasserted council’s aim to ensure eligible pensioners are aware and can access of the support available as its Let’s Reduce Inequality remains one of its strategic priorities and it continues to carry out work to help its residents through the cost-of-living crisis.
Cllr Naomi Tweddle, leader of City of Lincoln Council, said: “Our priority has always been to support the people of Lincoln, especially the most vulnerable.
“The City of Lincoln Council has an exceptional record on this. Whether it’s helping pensioners access Winter Fuel Payments or supporting families impacted by the Two-Child Limit, we remain committed to addressing the inequalities created by previous government decisions.
“We will continue to work with local partners and ensure every resource is available to help residents through this difficult time."
The council distributed over £2 million to residents through the Household Support Fund to alleviate fuel and food poverty, including more than 13,000 individual awards.
It also offers one of the most generous Council Tax Support Schemes in the country and funds a full-time cost-of-living co-ordinator to ensure dedicated resources for tackling pensioner, child and fuel poverty.
The council will continue its proactive Pension Credit campaign, working with partners like the Lincolnshire Financial Inclusion Partnership to help pensioners access vital benefits, including Winter Fuel Payments.
The Two-Child Benefit Limit, introduced by government in 2017, continues to impact 1.5 million children in the UK in households subject to the limit on benefit payments. This limit has cost families up to £3,235 per child, each year.
The second amended motion recognises the significant financial black hole and number of unfunded policies and projects that the government now faces, but argues that lifting the Two-Child Benefit cap should be made a priority.
Cllr Tweddle will write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the MP for Lincoln and urge for this benefit cap to be lifted, as soon as the economic conditions allow.
The council has started a publicity campaign (pictured) with partners to assist families who are struggling with the cost-of-living challenge, to claim the full amount of benefits they are entitled to. It will also carry out an assessment of child poverty and its effect on Lincoln families in a refresh of the authority’s anti-poverty strategy.
