Tackling Poverty

Our Focus for 2009

A child born in Moss Bay in Allerdale can expect to live 20 years less than a child 30 miles away in Greystoke in Eden.

This year the council will focus on putting the needs of people living in poverty at the centre of all the decisions we take.

Our aim is to protect the interests of those in greatest need and to champion the cause of those who are most vulnerable during this time of economic downturn. 

Every decision we make will be considered against the commitments we have made to tackle issues related to poverty. This includes:

• Preventing families and individuals getting into poverty in the first place;
• Minimising the harm caused by poverty for people living on low incomes;
• Supporting families and individuals to get out and stay out of poverty; and;

To tackle poverty we will:

• Reintroduce school clothing grants for hard pressed families;
• Invest in debt management advice and credit unions;
• Freeze day care and home care charges;
• Campaign to increase the uptake of school meals;
• Continue to help people to stop smoking, encourage healthy eating in school, work with partners to cut teenage pregnancies, and reduce excessive drug and alcohol consumption; and
• Develop an anti-poverty strategy and get our partners involved in making it happen.