Councillors will be asked to agree an upcoming consultation on the latest strategy to tackle poverty and support residents in County Durham.
Durham County Council’s Cabinet will receive an update on work undertaken by the local authority and its partners to address poverty and support financial wellbeing when it meets at County Hall on Wednesday 17 December.
It is part of a review carried out by the local authority’s Poverty Action Steering Group to ensure a co-ordinated response to wide-ranging poverty issues ahead of the development of a new strategy and action plan for 2026 to 2030.
The refreshed strategy will aim to create clear pathways out of poverty by supporting residents back into the workforce and helping them to build the skills needed for long-term financial resilience. It also recognises the ongoing need for short-term crisis support – such as emergency financial assistance, food and fuel support and access to social tariffs – to help residents manage immediate financial pressures.
Almost half of County Durham’s population live in rural areas and the strategy will seek to address the distinct challenges faced by these communities, where limited access to services, digital exclusion, transport barriers, and housing pressures can deepen financial
insecurity.
Cabinet will be asked to approve a public consultation on the strategy, which is proposed to focus on five key areas: prevention, protection, pathways, participation and partnerships.
Cllr Nicola Lyons, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for communities and civic resilience, said: “Years of austerity, followed by the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis have had a devastating impact on many households. Rising rents, mortgage rates and house prices have exacerbated the situation and the result is that there are families and individuals in communities across County Durham that are really struggling.
“Community wellbeing and resilience are key priorities for this council, and we want to do everything in our power to support residents and tackle the complex issues that arise from poverty.
“Our review has highlighted the importance of strong collaboration between the council, the Voluntary and Community Sector and other partners to tackling poverty. The new strategy will strengthen these partnerships, prioritising targeted help, long-term measures that build resilience, and supporting people into employment.
“However, before we decide anything, we are keen to hear what residents and organisations within our communities think about the priorities we have identified. We want to know what they consider to be the key issues that need addressing so that we can use their feedback to help shape the strategy.”
Cabinet will hear that the new strategy would also seek to build upon successful work already undertaken by the council and its Voluntary and Community Sector partners. This includes the allocation of grants totalling more than £30.5 million through the council’s Household Support Fund since 2022.
Ensuring residents are in stable accommodation is also a priority, with investment made into emergency crisis payments to prevent evictions and support residents at risk of homelessness.
Other actions taken include:
- Targeted campaigns, such as the pension credit take-up initiative, which have used advanced data sets to identify underclaiming households, unlocking more than £2.87 million in annual support.
- Establishing a Poverty Truth Commission, giving residents with experience of poverty a voice in shaping policy.
- Auto-enrolling a further 2,879 children on to Free School Meals, unlocking £1.2 million in family support and £4.1 million in school funding.
- Targeted initiatives such as the Fun & Food programme, which has delivered more than 48,000 activity sessions with food for 8,667 children during the school holidays.
- Cost-of-living advice projects, delivered by Citizens Advice County Durham, East Durham Trust, Age UK, and Durham Christian Partnership, have supported more than 1,000 residents in 2024/25. This support has increased household income by £906,000 and has written off nearly £2.3 million in debt.
- Employability programmes such as Durham Works, DurhamEnable and Employability Durham have supported more than 1,500 residents.
- More than 400 families across 22 schools and a college have been supported with access to meals, uniforms, benefits advice and fuel poverty assistance through the Financial Inclusion Support Officer programme.
- Welcome Spaces have provided 21,000 residents with a safe and warm space, where they can also access financial and wellbeing advice over the winter months.
- Digital inclusion projects have supported 400 residents through training and the distribution of devices such as smart phones and tablets. More than 100 venues and 37 databanks now offer digital support.
If approved by Cabinet, the consultation would run from January to March next year. A further report seeking approval for the final draft of the County Durham Poverty Strategy 2026 – 2030 would be presented to Cabinet in May.
