North Lanarkshire Council’s updated Tackling Poverty Strategy and Local Child Poverty Action Report highlighted significant progress in reducing poverty and supporting families by taking steps to build resilience and inclusive growth.

Councillor Chris Costello, convener of Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty explained: “Our Strategy targets four key poverty drivers - employment income, holistic health and wellbeing supports, reduced living costs and benefits access. With programmes like ‘Working Families,’ we are providing family support and helping with sustainable employment for local parents.”

Key activity highlights include:

• To assist with living costs, we launched a dedicated web page earlier this year to inform residents about affordable credit options.
• Debt advice services provided by our Tackling Poverty team also assisted 1,992 individuals, addressing over £6.4 million of debt, an increase of 14% compared to the previous year.
• Our Tackling Poverty Team’s welfare rights service has also seen demand grow, with referrals rising by 25%, generating nearly £48 million in additional benefit income for North Lanarkshire residents.
• The cost-of-living crisis has underlined the importance of accessible income maximisation, with benefit checks increasing by over 41% compared to last year.

The Local Child Poverty Action Report, details measures taken to help reduce child poverty, including bespoke poverty awareness sessions that have engaged with 328 people across multiple sectors. To support children and families in need, Whole Family Support initiatives are also in place, integrating financial and emotional support tailored to local needs.

“This approach represents a crucial step forward in ensuring every resident of North Lanarkshire has access to essential support and the opportunity for a brighter future. By enhancing partnership efforts and embracing a holistic approach, we aim to foster resilience, reduce poverty and support families in our area to thrive” said Councillor Costello.