A special task-force set up to help maximise support for Wrexham residents during the cost of living crisis has met for the first time.
Wrexham Council recently announced it would be setting up an all-party working group to look at the challenges facing local communities, and to find practical ways to help local people.
The group met for the first time on Thursday, October 13 and identified a number of key actions, including:
- Working closely with Wrexham Foodbank to explore new ways to help ensure nobody goes hungry.
- Contacting vulnerable council housing tenants to make sure they’re ok.
- Looking at ways to expand the ‘warm places’ scheme – so there are more places where people can go to stay warm if they’re struggling to heat their home.
- Signposting people to information, so they can claim what they’re entitled to and make the most of the support available. Actions include:
– Providing information on the council website about benefits and grants, tips for reducing household bills, coping with money-worries etc.
– Making sure council staff (especially frontline employees) know where to signpost people to for help.
– Holding information events across the county borough.
– Using the council’s Housing Hotline magazine to make sure council tenants know where to get support.
The group – which will meet once a fortnight to begin with – includes councillors from all political groups on Wrexham Council, as well as council officers.
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Councillor David A Bithell, who chairs the group, says:
“It’s really positive to see all the political groups coming together to work on this issue, and we identified some solid actions during our first meeting.
“The cost of living crisis is a national problem, and although we can’t fix it, there are things we can do as a local council to help our communities.
“Everyone on the group is one hundred percent committed to working together to do what we can, because we all recognise that people need practical help right now.
“By making sure people know what support is available, and helping them put meals on the table and stay warm, we can hopefully make a difference.”
