County Councillors Jerry Roodhouse & Sarah Boad call for action on the cost of living.

Lib Dems at County have tabled a Council Motion: on the Cost of Living

This Council recognises that we are in the middle of the worst cost of living crisis for 50 years and that it is having a major effect on many local people:

This Council therefore calls for a local Cost-of-Living Emergency Summit to be arranged, with stakeholders, including Citizens Advice, Food Banks, Local Trades Unions, Chambers of Commerce and local MPs to explore how more local help can be provided for those struggling with the cost of living – including extending the use of discretionary payments.

This Council also notes that increasingly Local Authorities are developing ‘Library Plus or ‘Warm Bank’ schemes, to give residents a place to stay warm and keep the cost of bills at home down after school and during evenings and weekends. The Council requests  the Chief Executive  to develop a funded plan  for the use of ‘Warm Banks’ across the County which will include later opening for Libraries and other council owned buildings. where possible.

Finally this Council requests that the Leader writes to the Secretary of State expressing this Council’s concerns over the impact that the cost of living is having on residents and also writes to the Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority and Leaders of all other Local Authorities in the West Midlands Region asking them to pass similar motions so we can take a united stand as Local Government to force the Government to do more to help local people.

On Tuesday 5^th July, Liberal Democrat education and children’s spokesperson Munira Wilson MP will introduce the Kinship Care Bill during a debate in the House of Commons.

Munira Wilson MP will use her debate to call on the Government to provide all friends and relatives who look after a child who cannot live with their birth parents with an allowance of at least £137 a week: the same level as for foster carers.

The Bill has the backing of Lib Dem leader Ed Davey MP, who was raised by his grandparents, Conservative Education Select Committee chair Robert Halfon MP and former Children’s Minister Tim Loughton MP.

Each year, thousands of grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and family friends step up to support a child who is unable to live with their birth parents. They turn their lives upside down to provide a child with a loving, stable home, when the alternative is often local authority care.

This often comes at a huge personal and financial sacrifice. Many give up their careers or pension savings. They are left to face the challenge of looking after a child who may well have suffered abuse or neglect.

Every child that goes into kinship care instead of local authority care could save the taxpayer more than £35,000 a year. Yet Government policy treats kinship carers as a Cinderella service, denying most of them the support received by foster carers or adoptive parents.

Munira’s Bill will:

• Provide a weekly allowance to all kinship carers at the same level as for foster carers;
• Give kinship carers the right to paid leave when a child starts living with them;
• Support the education of children in kinship care, such as by giving them Pupil Premium Plus funding and priority for their first choice of school.

The debate comes shortly after the launch of a survey by the charity Kinship, which revealed that kinship carers were particularly feeling the bite of the cost-of-living crisis:

• 44% of carers surveyed said that they could not pay all their household bills;
• 18% could not keep up with rent or mortgage payments;
• 26% could not afford food for their families.

Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson said:

“Every year, thousands of friends and relatives make huge personal and financial sacrifices when they step up to support a child in crisis. Yet as the cost-of-living crisis bites, kinship carers should not have to choose between paying the bills and looking after a loved one.

“The Government should back my Bill to provide these carers with the financial and practical support their children need. Liberal Democrats will stand up for carers, so we can provide their children with a better start in life, no matter their background.

The charity Kinship has estimated that it costs £72,500 a year to care for a looked-after child, compared to £36,795 to provide a kinship care family with a social worker and a weekly allowance: https://kinship.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Out-of-the-Shadows-2022-WEB-003.pdf

We know that sudden unexpected costs can create real challenges for residents who are experiencing financial hardship. Fuel vouchers are available for families and households in Warwickshire using pre-payment meters, paying by direct debit or on receipt of bill.    

If you, or anyone you know, needs help apply before 8 July 2022. Call 0800 408 1448 or 01926 359182 to talk to us in confidence.  

This support is provided by Warwickshire Local Welfare Scheme and funded by the Department for Work and Pensions’ Household Support Fund.   www.warwickshire.gov.uk/localwelfarescheme    

Warwickshire Libraries are delivering a variety of activities and events to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Read more: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/news/article/2942/visit-warwickshire-libraries-this-month-and-enjoy-a-whole-range-of-queen-s-platinum-jubilee-celebrations-for-all-ages

Support for residents struggling financially

Following the Government’s publication of its Cost of Living Support package on 26 May, WCC is reminding residents of help available locally to residents who are struggling to make ends meet.

Read more: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/news/article/2959/help-for-warwickshire-residents-struggling-to-manage-their-finances

Commenting on the new guidance to Lateral Flow Testing which will see the end of free testing, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson and Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:“Families are already facing soaring heating bills and food prices. Now they will have to shell out for doing the right thing and getting tested before visiting elderly or vulnerable relatives.”Once again, the government is turning its back on some of the most vulnerable in our society. “Scrapping free covid tests is a tax on caring which comes at the worst possible time. “At a bare minimum, Ministers must ensure free access to tests for paid and unpaid carers and those visiting care homes.

SEND Green Paper: A real kick in the teeth for parents

Responding to the launch of the Government’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Green Paper today, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said:“For all the fanfare and promises from Ministers this Green Paper is a real kick in the teeth for parents of children with learning difficulties and disabilities.”The Conservatives have left parents stuck dealing with a broken system and unable to get their children the help they need.”Every child with special needs should be identified at the earliest opportunity and then supported through their entire education.