The event involved a range of speakers, workshops, and a rousing performance from St Ambrose Cluster Collective.

The new strategy is a collective commitment from the council and its partners to address the enduring effects of poverty on communities.

Councillor Geraldine Woods, convener of wellbeing and tackling poverty committee, said: “The strategy aims to diminish the impact of inequality and inequity by providing support to families facing challenges in meeting basic needs.

“Our team can help people with money worries by carrying out free and confidential benefit checks on your behalf to make sure you are receiving the benefits to which you are entitled.”

In the past three years, the Tackling Poverty Team in partnership with other council services generated over £99 million in additional benefit income for the residents of North Lanarkshire.

This together with the £22.6m secured by the Citizens Advice Bureau, means that over £121m has been generated by supporting people through the benefits system.

The tackling poverty team forms a key part of the council’s fresh approach to supporting communities across the area.

To address these challenges locally, the refreshed Tackling Poverty Strategy sets out four key priorities:

• Increasing income via employment
• Maximising income via social security benefits
• Reducing the cost of living for multi-generations of families
• Holistic support (through working with partners to provide integrated and holistic support for parents to enter employment, improve their wider wellbeing and engage with the drivers of poverty).

Crucial to the strategy’s success is close collaboration between council services and key partners, including NHS Lanarkshire, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and others.

Cllr Geraldine Woods added: “This issue cannot be addressed by one organisation alone. Tackling poverty in our communities requires a collaborative effort and, together our partners, we are committed to doing everything we can to support people who need it most in our communities.”

Anyone worrying about debt or financial difficulties should contact North Lanarkshire Council’s Tackling Poverty Team who have experienced debt advisers on hand to help.