Plymouth investigation into cost of living

Council will target poverty

Plymouth City Council is to set up a special working party to look into the effects of the cost of living crisis in the city. Cabinet members are expected to rubber-stamp the creation of the group when they meet next Monday.

A report to the committee says: “The impact of covid-19 and the economic downturn, on top of more than a decade of austerity alongside historically high levels of deprivation, have led to a cost of living crisis in Plymouth.

“As the cost of living increases, disposable income reduces and more households start to face serious choices around heating, eating and debt.

“Even when inflation falls, we are left with a gap between income and outgoings which will leave many people in the city with little or no disposable income potentially for years to come.

“The cost of financial exclusion is high, both to households affected and to society. Poverty is such a strong determinant of future health and wellbeing, and reaches across into so many areas of lives.”

Those most likely to be hit hard by the crisis are households on low incomes, those in social housing and people who are homeless. It means ‘months of worry’ for people in Plymouth, scrutinising every penny spent but still running out of money as there simply isn’t enough to cover expenses.

The report goes on: “Cold homes have an increased risk of a wide range of health problems, from childhood asthma to an increased risk of dying for people with existing cardio-vascular, respiratory and circulatory problems.

“The phrase ‘Heat or Eat’ is one that so many people are familiar with, and food that is cheap, energy-dense and requires little to no preparation is often also unhealthy. As well as this, stress and worry has a harmful impact on health.”

The new group, which will be led by Cllr Sue Dann (Labour, Sutton and Mount Gould), will set out to work with partners to set up financial services and offer help and advice to residents facing financial hardship.

There will also be campaigns to promote and improve access to services such as free school meals.