Taking Action on Poverty in Neath Port Talbot

The Bevan Foundation was pleased to advise Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council recently about ways of helping people to cope with changes to social security benefits.  Speaking to the Council’s Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee on 13^th September 2012, Bevan Foundation Director said that Neath Port Talbot had one of the highest proportions of people in the UK claiming a benefit. She said that while some people may be encouraged into work as the UK Government hoped, many were predicting that others would lose out, with the poorest families predicted to lose 12% of their income by 2014/15.

She suggested that providing good quality advice on people’s benefit entitlements was a priority, to increase the likelihood of protection against a reduction in income by transitional arrangements. Steps to mitigate loss of income would also be important, such as reducing household living costs, increasing people’s financial capability, and community-based solutions such as co-operative housing. Helping people into the jobs that are available, ensuring they have necessary skills and matching the local housing stock to demand would also be important in the long-term, she said.