When I talk to those outside the council, some people are puzzled by why the Liberal Democrats are putting so much emphasis on fighting poverty here in Wokingham.
“Isn’t Wokingham a wealthy area?” they ask me.
I’ve had suggestions that where there are problems, they can be resolved by teaching those on low incomes to cook and budget properly, or that those affected need to get a better job.
Many Wokingham residents are well off.
But too many of our unpaid carers and those who work in essential but low-paid services such as retail are being pushed into crisis.
The costs of childcare stop many parents – particularly women – from working to support their families.
Others are looking after elderly or disabled relatives, or are themselves incapacitated and unable to work.
In an area where housing costs are very high and still rising, there simply isn’t enough in household budgets to spread between food, fuel and other essential costs, however carefully you manage your money.
Even before the latest financial turmoil, the cost of living was rising at its fastest rate in 40 years, with some forecasters predicting that inflation could be as high as 18.6% in the new year.
It’s no longer just those on the very lowest incomes who are finding it hard to make ends meet.
Families who were previously financially secure don’t know how they’ll pay their mortgage or rent.
Small businesses have been badly hit and economists are forecasting a recession.
The voluntary and community sector are seeing increasing numbers of residents who have never needed to ask for help, but can no longer cope financially.
The Liberal Democrats will therefore be asking for Wokingham Borough Council to formally declare a Cost of Living crisis and committing that supporting our residents through this will be a key priority.
We’re working with the officers and our partners in the Hardship Alliance and the Hardship Alliance Action Group to do all that we can to ensure that we understand the problems that our residents are facing, and how we can help them to handle these problems while preserving their choice and dignity.
We’ve just announced the latest round of funding through the Household Support Fund. Families who rely on free school meals will get help in the school holidays to make sure that no Wokingham Child goes hungry, and we will pay this right through to the May half-term holiday.
There will also be grants to help residents who can’t pay for food, fuel or other essentials.
The details are available on the Wokingham Borough Council website or from our Hardship Alliance partners – First Days, Wokingham Foodbank, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Wokingham United Charities and Age UK Berkshire.
We will continue to work with our voluntary and community sector partners to make sure that Wokingham residents can get advice on how they can claim benefits, tackle debt, and face the other challenges which the cost of living crisis will sadly bring.
And we will work with these partners to set up support and activities in places where anyone can access them to keep warm and socialise during through the winter.
We will be working to increase support to people in period poverty to easily access sanitary protection.
And we will be creating an online cost-of-living support hub to guide people to assistance available as well as to promote ways that residents can get involved to support the community with their time or money.
Wokingham met the huge challenge of the pandemic by working together – the council alongside the voluntary and community sector.
We’ll continue to work together to meet this new crisis and to do all that we can to support our residents through it.
Cllr Rachel Bishop-Firth is the Executive Member for Equalities, Inclusion and Fighting Poverty at Wokingham Borough Council and ward member for Emmbrook
