PAPER K
2024 to 2029
Contents
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“Our vision is for the Isle of Wight to be a fair and inclusive place to live. We want to work together as community
partners to help residents live a life free from poverty and inequality.”
We recognise that tackling poverty requires a coordinated and community approach. Residents and our Island organisations working together to support those most in need.
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Foreword
From the Isle of Wight Health and Wellbeing Board
The Isle of Wight’s biggest strength is how well its partners work together to focus on residents’ needs. The cost-of-living crisis has hit the Island hard. However, a lot has been done to raise awareness of available support to reduce poverty.
Voluntary and community groups (VCS) have stepped up to help locals with food pantries, warm spaces, and advice. This is supported by town, parish, and community councils, along with other local organisations.
Factors like the COVID-19 aftermath, rising costs of food and utilities, and reduced public funding have made poverty worse. The Isle of Wight Council’s health and wellbeing strategy (2022 to 2027) highlights social interaction, environment, jobs, and homes affect mental wellbeing.
Poverty impacts these areas, and this strategy recognises the need for both strategies to work together.
Many community support services on the Island are struggling. The Isle of Wight poverty reduction strategy aims to lift low-income households out of poverty and debt. The cost-of-living crisis has made the situation worse over the past few years.
By co-producing this strategy and working together the council, health, VCS, Island businesses, and other organisations aim to support local communities and create a resilient and inclusive economy. The Isle of Wight poverty reduction strategy will be overseen by the health and wellbeing board. Partners will support key actions identified in the strategy.
This strategy is a starting point to coordinate efforts on the Island. It aims to help more residents live a life free from poverty and inequality. Poverty should not be seen as inevitable!
Councillor Phil Jordan,
Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board
Dr Michele Legg,
Deputy Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board
A shared definition of poverty
“When a person’s resources are well below their minimum needs, including the need to be part of our Island’s community.”
There is not one universal definition of poverty.
National and international organisations as well as services on the Island, agree that poverty can be experienced in various ways by different people. Its exact nature can depend on individual circumstances.
Our work with Island residents has come up with this as the definition of poverty for the Islands strategy:
This is our Island
The Island population is around 142,300 people.
In 2014 to 2015, 29.7 per cent of children were living in poverty. In 2021 to 2022 it had increased to 34.2 per cent.
There are high levels of deprivation. 12 Island areas are in the top 20 per cent most deprived in England.
29 per cent of our population are aged 65 years and over (higher than England’s average of 18.5 per cent).
13.9 per cent are living in fuel poverty.
2,500 people are on the housing waiting list.
There has been a 33 per cent increase in the use of foodbanks between 2022 and 2023 (1,871 households).
1,475 Island residents rely on food pantries just to make ends meet.
There is limited private rental housing on the Island. Rightmove data 2021 suggested reduction of 82 per cent in rental stock post-COVID.
5.1 per cent of the population are economically inactive due to being long- term sick or having a disability.
Significant increase for support from information, advice and guidance services.
2023 data suggests 76 per cent of those aged 16 to 64 are in employment (66 per cent in 2021). Pre-COVID it was 74 per cent.
A third of households with children are on universal credit. Half of those are affected by a deduction to repay debt.
571 adults were supported with problematic debts in 2023.
GCSE pass rates for Island are statistically significantly worse than England. 7.5 per cent below national average in 2023.
25 per cent of children are eligible for free school meals.
Data drawn from latest JSNA data sets at: app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiM2VmZTQyYmUtMWM0Yy00ZTZjLTk0YTQtYTBmOGQ3ZDgwZjhiIiwidCI6I- jNmODFkOGI1LWVlMDctNGMxNy04NjljLTFkYjQzOTAxOGQ5YiIsImMiOjh9&pageName=ReportSectionf3b435aa4cd10f06770c view?r=eyJrIjoiM2VmZTQyY mUtMWM0Yy00ZTZjLTk0YTQtYTBmOGQ3ZDgwZjhiIiwidCI6IjNmODFkOGI1LWVlMDctNGMxNy04NjljLTFkYjQzOTAxOGQ5YiIsImMiOjh9&pageName=Re- portSectionf3b435aa4cd10f06770c
The impacts of poverty on Isle of Wight residents
Many Island residents were coping with poverty long before the current cost-of-living crisis.
The Island has seen a slower economic recovery post covid compared to other areas of southeast England.
Evidence suggests the cost-of-living crisis has been created by high inflation and low wages or income. This has resulted in a large increase in the cost of food, utilities, cost of housing and other essential goods and services.
Although inflationary costs are beginning to stabilise from rises in 2023 to 2024, we have not seen a return of prices to pre-higher inflation levels.
“My bills are higher than my income, without taking into account buying food. I am living off the local pantry.”
(Isle of Wight anti-poverty survey 2024)
Indication of multiple deprivation 2019 - Isle of Wight deciles
1 (10% most deprived)
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3
4
5
6
7
8
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10 (10% least deprived)
This has led to more Island residents experiencing money worries for the first time.
The Island has certain groups and communities more likely to be at risk of poverty. They are disproportionately affected by going without, falling behind with essential bills or taking on debt as their living costs rise.
These are:
Residents living in the 12 areas identified as being in the top 20 per cent most deprived in England (see the map on page 7).
Children and young people. Older people on low incomes.
People on below average household income. People who rent their homes rather than own them. Those experiencing homelessness.
Disabled people and those with caring responsibilities.
Women – who have potential lower earning power, caring responsibilities, and changing family circumstances.
People working in low-skilled and lower pay sectors that may also have a dependency on seasonal employment. Average wages on the Island are below the national levels.
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How poverty affects people can be profound:
While these experiences are individual, we know that sustained poverty can lead to wider issues.
Research confirms that poverty leads to worse physical and mental health.
This can lead to health and social inequalities including, poorer educational achievement, reduced life expectancy and an increased risk of being a victim of crime or turning to crime.
Poverty can increase family stress and the risk of experiencing conflict, abuse, drug and alcohol problems, and an increased risk of becoming homeless. This can reduce neighbourhood resilience due to higher numbers of people on low incomes, a lack of services or infrastructure, all place a greater demand on local services.
“The high cost of living results in buying cheaper filler food which leads to health problems and obesity. Fresh fruit, veg and protein is unaffordable.”
(Isle of Wight anti-poverty survey 2024)
Poor physical and mental health can make it harder to secure and keep employment. The Isle of Wight has the fourth lowest rate in the
country of people who in employment have declared a physical or long- term condition. Just 50.8 per cent are employed compared to England’s average of 65 per cent.
The wider societal impacts of poverty and the stigma that can be associated with those experiencing it:
Humiliation and shame.
Fear and distrust.
Instability and insecurity.
Isolation and loneliness.
Feeling trapped and powerless.
Poverty reduction work must anti-stigmatise poverty to avoid such inequality and promote personal wellbeing and resilience.
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Your voices and personal experiences
“Due to ill health my husband was signed off work 30 years ago. Trying to live only on benefits and my part time wages (I am my husband’s paid carer too) has left us in huge debt. You are given enough to live on according to the government, but not to actually live. When anything breaks, we end up in more debt, having to borrow to replace it. We cannot keep up with repairs on our house now. Mentally this has a very
detrimental effect on both of us but especially my husband who feels he has let his family down. We are in a lot of debt that will probably never be fully paid. I spend a lot of my time worrying about it.”
“My sister survived domestic violence and abuse and has been living in temporary accommodation with two children for three years. It’s nowhere near her family support network. There’s no hope of secure social housing but she still has to bid on properties weekly that she knows she’ll never get. Although she is in employment she has to use food banks weekly and rely on clothing donations. Benefits have been reduced too since
going over to universal credit.”
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“We are two working parents with young children. We both now work full time, but only just make ends meet.
We are not entitled to any benefits or support, yet with increases in mortgage prices, utilities, food, and everything else and no increase to our wage we are worse off than five years ago, and constantly battling debt. What is worse is that we constantly struggle to find childcare, afterschool, and holiday clubs to look after our children to enable us to work the additional hours to keep afloat. We are in ‘skilled’ jobs and yet are still struggling month to month . It makes us realise why many who are ‘unskilled’ choose or are forced to not work!”
“I am single adult household in full time work. I have childcare costs. Government say they fund 30 hours but, they fund 30 hours at less than £5 an hour, childcare hourly costs exceed this. I have adult children who have additional needs who are unable to find secure suitable
employment. Housing and utility costs exceed my incomings. I have had to use the foodbank and am reliant on family and friends who give us food parcels. I was recently migrated from working tax credit to universal credit which left a five-week gap between claims. Since then, I have been unable to balance my incomings and outgoings. In addition to my employed work, I am now having to manage additional self-employed hours to try to make ends meet. I do not have any disposable income for
additional costs such as clothing dental care or to replace basic household items, car repairs etc.”
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How poverty affects you and your community
As part of this strategy, two surveys were circulated to the public and organisations working with people experiencing poverty.
The key issues from individuals replying to the survey were:
rising prices of utilities and food;
low wages;
lack of affordable housing.
The Island has unique problems including rural and ferry travel. It impacts the ability to access education and employment opportunities that could help alleviate poverty.
Key issues from respondents to the poverty surveys
Unemployment Low wages
Lack of job opportunities
Lack of the right skills and qualifications
Debt
430 responses from Islanders.
390 from the individual survey. 40 from the organisation survey.
Levels of benefits Rising price of food Rising price of utilities Rising price of rent
32 per cent described themselves as experiencing poverty and identified community pantries, foodbanks, and Citizens Advice as services they were most aware of.
Lack of affordable housing Poor physical health
Poor mental health Other issues
Responses from organisations highlight limitations of lower paid seasonal employment, access to medical and overstretched services, all as issues that can contribute to poor mental health.
At a local level, one of the key issues is access to information about how and where to get help.
What is already happening on the Island?
£10.65 million of council tax support has been provided in 2023 to 2024.
A ‘no wrong door’ approach to mental health support by key partner organisations. Access to the right support at the right time.
£225,339 discretionary hardship payments for rent top-ups.
Citizen’s Advice supported 3,124 benefit enquiries in 2023 to 2024. Island residents gained over £450,000.
1,287 applications were received for cost- of-living crisis support during 2023 to 2024. Over £200,000 was given to 1,037
households including support for food, fuel and basic needs.
£66,598 council tax exceptional hardship payments.
Free school meals offered to 25 per cent
of children.
£37,729 of council tax discretionary reduction awarded.
Free to access training in suicide first aid and mental health first aid for frontline professionals and volunteers.
55 Warm Welcoming hubs have been established for peoples to keep warm, socialise and learn new skills in 2023 to 2024.
£2 bus fare maintained to limit barriers to work.
Inspirational work is already happening across the Island to tackle poverty by partners which has informed the aspirations of this strategy.
Wheels to work bicycle scheme successfully developed and looking to expand.
Provision of 962 low energy appliances to reduce energy bills.
14 community hubs across the
Island deliver services for Islanders, to promote independence and wellbeing.
Early help for children and families. In partnership with Barnardo’s, three hubs are open five days a week.
35 to 40 employment and skill placements created per month via HTP.
Living well and early help supports 1,500
people per month.
Members of Island food strategy group operating 16 pantries and foodbank provisions across the Island.
Since 2020, 692 people were successfully supported by the council’s homeless pathway. 425 people successfully moved to a place they can call home.
Over 5,718 homes received guidance and help to improve insulation and heating systems making them more energy efficient between 2020 and 2024.
Crisis food voucher scheme ensures families open to children services can access this and be referred to a supporting agency for additional assistance.
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What you told us has helped?
“I have used community pantries and found them very useful because I was able to access a lot of food in a time of really struggling with money.”
“The local food bank has been very supportive when it has been needed. They are friendly and approachable.”
“Community pantry is how I manage to afford to eat.”
“Local council tax support, food bank citizens advice. All have been helpful and supportive. Mental health support on the Island is not good enough.”
“Babybox supported me and my family.”
“The community pantries are a life saver. Without this on a weekly basis I’d be really struggling with basic food staples.“
“I have enjoyed the community spirit at warm space lunches in St. Catherine’s Church.”
“The Footprint Trust were able to help me lower my bills and gave me a top up for my electric. They suggested changes I could make which helped me save money.”
“I had council tax support. It helped as there was no way I would have been able to pay full council tax, the reduced rate was hard enough.”
“There’s little support available to us. Signposted but no real support anywhere. Hours spent on hold on the phone to be told of online support options! Bring back people!”
“Very friendly CAB and help with PIP form, but didn’t get any more money. People Matter brilliant in all sorts of ways.”
“Advice only goes so far. Need action not just words.”
“Community pantries and food banks – without this help myself and my children would not have eaten.”
This highlights the work around poverty is already established and the strategy is about ensuring that work is supported moving forward.
What you told us you still need help with
Categories of need identified in comments:
Information, advice and guidance
30%
Housing Affordable transport
15% 6%
Community support Education
9% 6%
Benefits help Empathy
7% 4%
Employment Partnership working opportunties 4%
7%
Healthcare
Funding 3%
7%
This is just a small selection of the comments from the surveys – all the comment responses have been collated and categorised to help inform the action plan.
“Affordable utility bills, discounts to those that need it. Instead of making people choose between heating or eating.”
“Going out into the community and speaking to residents, making them aware of the services available.”
“People need help managing their budget.”
“Better access to transport. Transport on the Island is patchy, infrequent and costly. While buses are only £2 a journey, this is no good if the only bus you can catch from your village arrives in Newport at 9.30am when you need to start work at 8am.”
“Reduce social isolation, not being afraid or embarrassed to talk about issues.”
“Share information – too much out there and people do not know where to go if they need help.”
“More low-cost community lunches, especially over the holidays. Food packages for families over the school holidays.”
“More people in CAB. Cheaper cafes. Place where goods can be swapped – aware of baby bank. Maybe something similar for furniture, electricals, or tools.”
“Access to affordable housing.”
“Lowering council tax to levels comparable to the mainland.”
“Support for people to start back to work without fear of losing benefits. A window to build up a ‘rainy day’ fund and ensure the job is sustainable, so that all is not lost if it falls through early on.”
“More understanding of people’s long- term issues. For many in poverty it has built up over time, there is no short-term fix.”
“There should be more easily accessible information hubs that are friendly and welcoming. For example, in cafes so not so obvious you are going in for support.”
“Good quality crisis intervention to give people the skills to manage independently in the future.”
“More networking and sharing of information offered by each organisation.”
“Easier funding processes.”
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Targeting support for residents
experiencing poverty now
We aim to reduce and prevent poverty across the Island.
We know people’s circumstances can often change quickly. This can result in them falling into unexpected poverty or experiencing hardship.
The Island benefits from an array of services rooted in communities that have been, and continue to be, a lifeline for residents. These services are seeing and reporting a significant increase in need.
April 2023 and April 2024 – the council’s cost of living helpline and Citizens Advice responded to over 18,000 requests for support. All relating to help with benefits, housing, energy costs, health and wellbeing, and support with food.
The number of children growing up in poverty on the Isle of Wight has increased to 32.4 per cent.
13.2 per cent of pensioners on the Isle of Wight are estimated to be living in poverty.
Household bills have all risen dramatically. Cost-of-living pressures have led to household fuel poverty rising to 13.9 per cent.
1,475 residents are regularly accessing pantries
1,871 households use foodbank provisions.
The benefit system is complex:
There is often a long wait for universal credit payments
Deductions can be harsh.
Two-child limit on child benefit.
Decline of the value of social security over the last 10 years.
Difficulties when trying to increase working hours.
Winter fuel payments will become means tested to pensioners.
Key factors for individuals, families (either in or out of work) and pensioners remaining in poverty.
25 per cent of Island children are eligible for free school meals. We do not know how many families use this offer.
2,500 residents remain on the housing waiting list.
What are we doing now?
Island partners have created a support network for Island residents that has:
distributed £10.65 million of council tax support to Island households to help with the cost of living;
awarded £104,327 in exceptional/discretionary council tax hardship payments;
supported 451 households with £225,339 worth of support for rental costs in 2023 to 2024 though discretionary hardship payments;
signed up to the government’s Breathing Space legislation. Help people in debt receive advice to a avoid a crisis;
continued development of our Island information, advice and guidance support provision, cost-of-living helpline and web information;
developed an Isle of Wight Food Partnership (IWFP) strategy oversight group. This will monitor the need for pantries, foodbanks and local community support and develop a network for access to low-cost food, by working with local supermarkets to distribute surplus free food;
provided cookery and nutrition courses for families to learn to cook on a budget, through household support fund as well as providing low energy appliances such as air fryers for free;
worked in partnership with Barnardo’s, public health, NHS and voluntary sector providers. We have developed early help and family
hub provisions to support children and families access to safe spaces to access social, emotional and practical support as well as signposting to services and access to benefits;
enabled 499 children to meet health, development and basic care needs by supporting families with debt and housing issues. We are providing training to community services to deliver targeted support;
provided financial support for cared-for young people through emergency financial and council tax support, setting up home grants and financial support to access education and training opportunities;
built, and continue to develop, an online offer with information on support, charities and grants. Including where and how to access support depending on the need;
over the past two years, helped to reduce the energy costs in over 3,494 homes. Improved insulation and heating systems that contributes towards our net zero ambitions;
promoted learning and employment and opportunities through events including careers fairs;
provided adult learning and development courses to improve functional skills and employability;
supported 692 people through the council’s homeless pathway with 425 people moving to a place they can call home.
What more are we going to do?
Continue to support and promote the take up of financial support and benefits residents are entitled to by maximising household income.
Work with local services to maintain the cost-of-living support in the community. This includes information, advice and guidance and support to prevent crisis.
Increase the number of children taking up their free school meals entitlement.
Continue to look at data. Respond to community needs that link to and support the delivery of wider strategy action plans related to poverty reduction.
Establish the Isle of Wight food partnership strategic group priorities. Provide targeted support to residents who experience crisis. Look for sustainable longer-term solutions with redistribution of surplus free food through pantries or other community hubs.
Ensure there’s a link to poverty reduction and environmentally sustainable solutions in all health, adult and children social care, well- being, housing, development and economic strategies.
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Support Island residents to help
prevent them falling into poverty
Poverty remains one of the most significant challenges. Our ambition seeks to improve the lives of our residents to limit the causes and effects that poverty can have.
Through our survey and talking with Isle of Wight organisations, we have gathered information from residents to help understand poverty. Now we are able to target resources and interventions accordingly.
We have a history of working together to provide support to our community, demonstrated during the pandemic. Shaping and delivering a poverty reduction strategy requires working in
collaboration. Island voluntary community sector, and public sector organisations working with town, parish, and community councils along with the private sector.
We have a diverse demographic profile, but with an increasing older population. Population forecast data Census 2021 suggest there will be a decrease of two per cent in the younger population aged under 18 years. A small increase of one per cent in the 18 to 64 years and increase of seven per cent in the older population aged 65 years and over.
Our Island benefits from tourism to boast the local economy. This accounts for 30 per cent of income to Island businesses.
In this strategy we have focused on identifying people most at risk of poverty. Connecting them to the right support before they reach crisis.
Working as frontline partners across the Island we can see when someone is struggling. We have developed the tools and links to offer support.
The implementation plan for this strategy will concentrate on the following areas:
What are we doing now?
Promote and target benefit uptake and promotion work (pension credit, personal independence payments, attendance allowance, free school meals, local council tax support). Help those on low income or who need support with personal conditions access additional income and
benefit entitlements.
Develop an array of information, advice and support services available within the community – with information available in accessible formats
Maximise the use of household support funding.
Enable provisions and direct immediate support to aid residents experiencing cost-of-living pressures to prevent them from falling further into crisis.
What are the next steps?
Map existing resources and services. Understand the need and identify gaps across the Island to inform actions.
As a partnership ensure we target our support where it’s needed most.
Raise awareness of the support that is available in the community.
Support Island residents to maximise their income through access to unclaimed benefits.
Promote the awareness of scams and proactive education regarding high interest credit funds.
Provide access to interventions earlier to prevent crisis. Enable safe spaces for people to talk through their concerns. Access support with an emphasis on the empowerment of the individual to ensure a secure, poverty free future.
Town and parish councils to work with community organisations to enhance resilience looking at what the community can do for each other.
Work towards an affordable, sustainable food distribution.
Create a more inclusive local economy. Recognise and promote opportunities for residents and local businesses through the Isle of Wight Growth and prosperity strategy 2025 to 2050.
What are we doing now?
Continue to build the online family information hub, providing accessible information on services, community support and resources to aid with poverty support.
Providing early help support for children and families in partnership with Barnardo’s, public health and NHS. Three hubs open for drop-in support with trained staff and volunteers. Free learning, play, parenting support opportunities, advice, support and signposting open five days a week, with another five centres offering drop-ins across the Island.
Support families and ensure access to voucher and grant schemes.
Provide free school travel to families affected by the cost of travel due to homelessness and distance from school.
Using funding, grant and charity support and school and community events to offer food and uniform support to families.
Work to ensure children have the best opportunities through education. Ensure barriers to attendance are addressed. Ensuring a family’s financial and personal circumstances are considered when deciding how best to support children back into education.
Young adults who have been cared for are provided with housing and financial support. This is to ensure the impact of their circumstances and experiences does not make them more vulnerable to falling into poverty.
Promoting and enabling access to food pantries and food banks.
Working with voluntary sector partners to build support within the community. Offering cookery courses to help make good-value, healthy meals. We ensure all providers are trained to provide signposting, advice and support to families.
What are the next steps?
Work to implement the education strategy. Achieve education pass rates that are better than the England average.
Ensure schools offer a broad and balanced curriculum. Include vocational opportunities to ensure children have meaningful opportunities in adulthood.
We will increase our number of trained volunteers. Work with services supporting children and families to ensure there is no wrong door to accessing advice, support and signposting.
Further develop collaboration between the council services, NHS and community. Ensure all parents and children have the right support at the right time through access and support for good health, wellbeing, attendance and having the basics necessities of life in place.
We will adapt our family hub and centre offer to meet community needs. Look for opportunities to expand our support with government policy decisions.
Ensure children have access to good nutritional food. Measuring and increasing the take up of free school meals and attendance for children so they are in school and able to access food and education.
Review learning opportunities and facilities in communities. Ensure that children, young people and parents have the support to develop life skills such as cooking and budgeting.
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What are we doing now?
Adapted the council’s procurement strategy to ensure Island job creation for Island residents. Building on apprenticeships for skills growth and development.
The Island careers partnership produced a draft employee engagement plan to strengthen relationships with employers
Encouraging industries and other public servcies on the Island to create opportunities for training and apprenticeships in skilled jobs
Adult learning opportunity programs are well established. They have helped residents improve their skills and qualifications to build confidence to
access the job market. In the last academic year 530 adult learners enhanced their maths, english or digital skills with 106 achieving a formal qualification.
The high cost and availability of childcare can be a barrier to work. The complexity of
Government support can reduce access for the lowest income households. We will work to ensure that information and guidance outlets are skilled and able to support residents through the complexity of the benefit and grant system to enable greater uptake.
What are the next steps?
Create opportunities to enhance skills development, training, employment and income maximisation. Reduce the need for students to travel off-Island to gain these opportunities.
Encourage employers to pay living wage and provide education within our local economy.
Raise the profile of jobs for example in the care sector. Offer career and skills advice, apprenticeships, stimulating job
opportunities, personal growth and life skills to develop resilience through education delivered by experts by experience
Create a more inclusive local economy.
One that recognises and promotes opportunities for residents. Local businesses to increase year-round secure employment opportunities and training options with an aim to work to reduce poverty.
Work with Island travel firms to identify affordable commuting options.
Work with public sector organisations including health and care. Ensure equality in wages compared to the rest of England where necessary.
What are we doing now?
Reducing health inequalities is the duty of the health and wellbeing board and its partners. There will be a continued focus on this area of work by the board partner members.
People who experience poverty may need to access services in different ways. As partners we need to consider this in our service design
Living well and early help services are now rooted within the community. Welcoming, accessible hubs across the Island.
55 warm welcoming spaces well-being hubs opened across the Island.
Well established carers support service supporting over 3,000 unpaid carers.
Employment support options for those with additional vulnerabilities in place.
Details about mental wellbeing support: www.iow.gov.uk/keep-the-island-safe/public- health/healthy-living/mental-health-and- wellbeing
What are the next steps?
We will enable all partners to focus on ill health and behavioural risk factors, providing support as required to make positive changes.
Assess use of health services by geography to measure take up in relation to deprivation.
Work to improve mental wellbeing and healthy behaviours support available to communities. Developing community resilience by promoting recycle, reuse, repurpose mind sets.
Understanding how to develop working opportunities for those with long term physical or mental ill health.
Promote uptake of pension credit and other benefits.
Work with our partners to help more people to adopt a healthy lifestyles.
The Island food partnership network will continue to support and maintain a strong ecosystem of food provision. This gives access to healthy, affordable food for residents who are food insecure.
What are we doing now?
Commenced a review of the Island’s housing strategy and Island planning strategy, to review the mix of housing needs.
The council is working with registered housing providers. Assessing means for facilitating affordable housing in the right places on the Island.
Developed an Island strategy to help us increase the amount of extra care housing on the Island.
We are working with environmental organisations to make it cheaper and easier to heat our homes.
Council tax support fund in place to help those eligible and in hardship.
What are the next steps?
Develop a housing and island planning strategy that aids a greater level of affordable housing. Provide a greater level of discounting for ‘affordable’ housing from 80 per cent, to 60 per cent of market value.
Work with the Footprint Trust and Green Energy Isle of Wight to provide guidance and access to insulation. Reducing energy output to promote fuel efficiency.
Recognise how the Island’s housing affordability and housing needs can create further impact to poverty for those on low wages and how limitations to benefit levels causes barriers
Lobby for a review of the local housing allowance rates for the Island to be increased.
A lot has been achieved on the Island to implement, support and address the impact of cost of living and poverty pressures on our residents.
Many drivers of poverty and hardship such as, social security policy, national living wage, local government, social care and health funding, are the responsibility of national government. It is unclear what the direction and policy intentions of the new government are and what public funding may look like. As partner organisations we can ensure that the voice of Island residents and services are heard and understood nationally.
Local councils and organisations are now faced with challenges for core funding. Inflationary cost pressures and growing demand for services, with the need to rely on temporary grant funding streams such as household support funding, has had an impact on the cost-of-living and poverty reduction work in recent years.
This funding uncertainty and continued financial pressure provides challenges for the Island. It requires us to look at ways to make better use of our resources, collective spend and funding opportunities.
Finance has an impact on what can be delivered so community support, collaboration and partnership is essential if we are to seek to resolve the root causes of poverty.
People with lived experience have an important role in designing our future activity. Community organisations across the Island have a raft of data to help us understand the impact of poverty.
Delivering the poverty reduction strategy requires collaborative working between the Island’s voluntary community sector, public sector organisations, with Support from town, parish and community councils and the private sector.
Ensure long term support is planned
and delivered in partnership
The way people within organisations and communities communicate with each other must improve. This will help to identify what is needed to sustain work already taking place, resource new areas of work or do things differently.
The oversight of the poverty reduction strategy is the responsibility of the health and wellbeing board.
Consideration is being given to adopting an approach to help the Island create a resilient and inclusive economy. Providing a person-centred approach to economic development, making the Island a better place to live, work and:
improve social and economic inequalities on the Island, such as low wage and insecure employment;
create career pathways and opportunities across employers;
break down barriers to employment;
harness collective spend;
make better use of collective land and assets;
tackle health inequalities and poverty;
consider interventions through biosphere principles for enhancing climate and sustainability for future generations.
What are we doing now?
Campaigning for an Island deal and fairer funding that reflects the needs of the Island.
Strategic oversight through the health and wellbeing board, economic development board, and other local strategies strengthened by the voices of local people.
Enhance partnership working between voluntary services, town and parish councils, the Isle of Wight Council and health. Strengthen local decision making and spending decisions.
Through the Isle of Wight Food Partnership strategy group, share intelligence, targeting resources to support and resolve food poverty.
Look at longer term aspirations and needs for the Island that the poverty reduction strategy may link to and compliment. e.g. Adult social care strategy – living happy, healthy lives; housing needs strategy; health and wellbeing strategy; Isle of Wight education strategy; Island planning strategy; Isle of Wight growth and prosperity strategy; responding to climate change and enhancing the biosphere.
Encourage partnership approaches around social care and health careers in public and independent sector. Unlock local talent, breaking down barriers to accessing employment opportunities.
Make better use of land and assets to meet the needs of the community, including housing and regeneration.
What more are we going to do?
Lobbying for action to ensure maximisation of opportunities to lessen the impact of cost of living rises, e.g. Local housing allowance benefit levels for the Island and central government grants to support local businesses.
Commit to working with ferry companies at government level re the cost of travel to and from the Island.
Work with registered providers or developers to encourage affordable housing in the right places.
Bring together Island residents, local groups and other professionals to share and act on information.
Develop shared priorities that ensure any financial decisions and funding allocations include a poverty impact analysis.
Review the Island’s growth and prosperity strategy.
Look at skill development and stimulating employment growth via the Solent Growth Partnership. This will support people with
apprenticeships, education in schools and post-16, delivery of a skills boot-camp and adult learning. This will lead to a universal support programme to promote local jobs and aid residents with employment.
Through the Isle of Wight education strategy, ensure we improve the preparation of children and young people for adulthood.
Partners working to improve children’s wellbeing will:
publish our childrens and young person plan in 2025;
continue the development of the family hub provisions in partnership with Barnardo’s, health and wider partners to aid families with advice, information, guidance and easy access to services and support;
ensure the school place planning review, and the opportunities it offers, provide support to the children and families affected.
Work in partnership to develop the right support for residents that promotes financial, physical and mental wellbeing.
Maximise the resources available and upskilling so communities and providers can work together to support poverty reduction work.
Avoid duplication. Create a coordinated plan to develop a ‘no wrong door’ approach. Look at community models supported through town, parish and community councils.
Review existing grant funding streams to support poverty reduction work and approaches to community resilience.
Improve liaison and communication between partners, agencies and the public. Ensure we can promote the support that is available.
Champion activities that improve social connectedness to combat loneliness and de-stigmatise poverty to reduce inequality and promote personal wellbeing and resilience.
We will re-establish a poverty reduction reference group. They will be responsible for the delivery of this strategy overseen by the the health and wellbeing board.
Over the next five years we will, as partners for the Island, judge ourselves on progress against the following:
Reducing the number of children growing up in poverty. Reducing the number of pensioners living in poverty.
Reducing the number of households living in poverty. An improvement in population health and wellbeing.
An improvement in educational attainment with good GCSE results. More residents with a level 3 or higher qualification.
More apprenticeships job development and volunteering opportunities.
More residents in employment, including those previously unable to work due to ill health.
More affordable, secure homes for Island residents.
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Next steps
develop a comprehensive action plan to deliver the ambitions of this strategy through the health and wellbeing board;
talk with partners and organisations across the Island to co-ordinate a streamlined approach;
This strategy has been written at a time of worsening economic conditions. The impacts of Brexit, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine all play a part in creating a cost-of-living crisis. This has seen household costs and the demand for support and services rapidly increase.
On the Island organisations and services have, and continue to, step- up and provide much needed help. The scale of the challenge needs a
regularly seek and listen to the views of our Island residents. Understand their experiences and ensure the work done makes a difference to them and their families.
joined-up plan of action. This strategy is a starting point. It is a sign of the intent to work differently with residents, partners, VCS organisations and businesses to increase our efforts and create the opportunities for more residents to lead full and happy lives.
Strategy partners are committed to:
Arreton Parish Council
Aspire
Baby Box
Barnardo’s Isle of Wight Family Centres
Biosphere Steering Committee
Carers IW
Churches Together in West Wight
Citizens Advice
Community Action Isle of Wight
Community Spirited Cafe.
Education
Fishbourne Parish Council
Footprint Trust
Freshwater Parish Council
Frontline
Godshill Primary School
Gurnard Parish Council
HMP Isle of Wight
Home-Start Isle of Wight
Independent Arts
Involving People
Island Food Strategy Group
Isle of Wight Association of Local Councils
Isle of Wight Council
Isle of Wight Foodbanks
Isle of Wight Library Service
Isle of Wight Voluntary Sector Forum
Isle of Wight Youth Trust
Isorropia Foundation
Mountbatten Isle of Wight
Naturezones Wildlife Education Trust
Newport Congregational Church and the Pyle Street pantry.
NHS
Northwood Parish Council
Our thanks to all those involved in developing this strategy
One Wight Health
Pan Together
People Matter IW
Ryde Community Development Trust
Ryde Town Council
Sacre
SNG (Sovereign)
Southern Housing
The Common Space
University of Portsmouth
Vectis Housing
Ventnor Town Council
West Wight Sports and Community Centre
YMCA
Isle of Wight poverty reduction strategy 2024 to 2029
If you have difficulty understanding this document, please contact us on 01983 821000 and we will do our best to help you.
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