The council’s Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (COSMB) receives regular update reports on a range of issues affecting the people and communities of County Durham. One of the most pressing issues at the moment is that of poverty, and particularly the impact it continues to have on the most vulnerable people in our communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Poverty has a wide reach and affects us all in one way or another. During the current coronavirus crisis Durham County Council has continued to work with partners at local, regional and national levels to mitigate wherever possible the impact of poverty and help to support families and individuals through the pandemic and the hardships it brings. Last month COSMB received a report on how the council is working to alleviate that hardship.
The complete report in the link at the bottom of this page highlights the most recent welfare, economic and poverty indicators for the county and updates on the efforts of the council and its partners to alleviate poverty - including a summary of the actions taken to address the negative financial impacts experienced by residents as a result of the pandemic, along with details of the council’s poverty action strategy and plan.
Please note that while the report was correct at the time of writing (9 November 2020) the situation with Covid-19 is changing constantly with regular government announcements and policy changes meaning some of the information in the report may have been superseded by subsequent developments.
https://democracy.durham.gov.uk/documents/s131457/Item%206%20Poverty%20Issues.pdf