Issue details

The Cost-of-Living Crisis response package included provision for better intelligence to understand who our most vulnerable residents are. This was seen as necessary as those in urgent need of help (for example due to lack of food or money for heating) do not always reach out to the council or other agencies, and often don’t receive all the benefits to which they are entitled. It was also considered important to improve our ability to identify those residents who are just about managing and who may not have accessed welfare services before. The Low Income Family Tracker Tool (LIFT) available from Policy in Practice has been identified as a product which is already in use by other authorities and could meet these objectives. Ultimately the aim of the tool is to pro-actively use our data and intelligence to provide support early before residents reach financial crisis point.