Support for Mansfield residents as first Cost of Living Summit is held

The event comes after Mansfield District Council officially declared a cost of living emergency.

The summit, led by Elected Mayor Andy Abrahams, saw plans to immediately benefit residents, including a ‘Warm Rooms’ scheme and cost of living roadshow.

The meeting also saw keynote speeches from the Fuel Bank Foundation and Feeding Britain, followed by a group activity to capture challenges and gaps in the system that could be collaboratively filled.

Mr Abrahams said: “Every day in the news, we hear more and more about the pinches on finances – but very little on what help is available for all residents now.

“Urgent and decisive action is needed to get the message out there, so we wanted to ensure the council remained on the front foot with this crisis. By hosting our first summit with all partners around a table in one place, we are demonstrating to our residents we understand their concerns and are working in partnership with others to get a plan of action that delivers for them.

“We can’t rely on any additional funding coming through; the work we do as team Mansfield together will help us formulate actions. I hope all our communities will benefit from the actions we bring together this afternoon.

“We are strengthening relationships between the council and our partners by being at the forefront of these events. These are unprecedented times, but I am pleased we acted swiftly and look forward to sharing more details about both schemes in the coming weeks.”

The Warm Rooms scheme will be a network of warm spaces open to people struggling to heat their homes over the colder months. These will run with the support of council partners including, Mansfield Museum, Oak Tree Leisure Centre and a range of community and voluntary organisations.

The Cost of Living Roadshows will see council officers and its partners out in the district signposting residents to where they can access support and advice. Partners on hand to help at each event include Department for Work and Pensions, Nottinghamshire County Council, Citizens Advice, Direct Help and Advice and Family Action.

Andrew Forsey, director of Feeding Britain, said: “People are facing a triple threat to their living standards through higher energy bills, food and housing costs.

“As Feeding Mansfield, like the rest of our network, braces itself for the challenging months ahead, you can count on us for support on three fronts. Direct support for practical action across the district. Ideas and templates for increasing take-up of statutory support schemes.

“Finally, reconfiguring services, so they are truly accessible to local people, and they have a fighting chance of helping people stretch their budgets further.”

The Cost of Living Roadshows will be taking place at Mansfield Museum on Thursday, October 13, from 5pm to 7pm, Warsop Methodist Church on Tuesday, November 1, from 1pm to 3pm and Oak Tree Leisure Centre on Thursday, November 3, from 5pm to 7pm.

For more information and advice visit www.mansfield.gov.uk/costofliving.