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A major strategy to help tackle poverty and its causes is being launched by Trafford Council.

The Council’s Executive last night approved a plan to launch the Trafford Poverty Strategy 2022-2025 which is designed to alleviate the economic hardship and inequality that exists across the borough through collaboration and partnership working.

The strategy will help residents in a number of ways – including giving them access to advice and information on how to manage, helping them improve their skills and get jobs, and by encouraging employers to pay the Real Living Wage.

It is vitally important given the cost of living crisis which means more Trafford families will be struggling to make ends meet. The Council’s Adult Services team can be contacted at Adults and older people (trafford.gov.uk).

The Executive also approved the Trafford VCFSE (voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise) Strategy 2022-27 which will aim to support a thriving and sustainable volunteer sector in the borough.

The Council has made supporting people out of poverty one its main corporate priorities and launched a one-year strategy in 2020/21 to identify short term options to highlight and alleviate the issue. The authority developed the new plan through the Trafford Poverty Action Group with the aim of tackling the causes of poverty and raising people out of poverty.

In May this year, the Trafford Poverty Truth Commission was launched which gave people with experience of living in poverty the opportunity to speak up and build relationships with those in positions of influence. The commission will conclude in March 2023 and its recommendations will be incorporated into the Trafford Poverty Strategy.

Cllr Joanne Harding, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Strategic Partnerships, said: “I am pleased that the Executive approved the plan for the Trafford Poverty Strategy. Nobody should be living in poverty in 2022 and this strategy will be looking very closely at how we can tackle the issue across the borough.

“Through the Trafford Poverty Truth Commission we have heard some awful stories about how people are desperately struggling to make ends meet and as a local authority we are planning to do everything we can to improve the situation for those people. This current cost of living crisis is making life a misery for so many and we aim to help them through the new strategy by working collaboratively with partners and other agencies. Thank you to the Executive for supporting this.”l