Bristol City Council: Bristol’s One City Response

From March 2022, the Bristol City Council Neighbourhood and Communities service have convened staff from across the council to understand the potential impacts of the rising cost of living on individuals and communities.


Background

The Council's recent cost-of-living impact assessment has identified the disproportionate impact rising costs has had on equalities groups and people already in poverty. The assessment includes a cost-of-living risk index by ward which we have produced to estimate the risk in different areas of the city. This mirrors the methodology of the Centre for Progressive Policy in their estimation of risk at local authority level. The risk index, each indicator and additional relevant data is presented in an interactive map.

The Council has worked with its One City partners – particularly those from the VCSE sector – to develop a response focussed on supporting individuals with immediate emergency and welfare support as well as building resilience within communities themselves. They are taking a social justice and asset-based community development approach, using learning from the city's response to COVID-19.

What the council is doing

The One City response is focussing on four key areas:

  • maximising household income and reducing living costs
  • keeping well
  • immediate emergency and welfare support
  • city coordination and access to information.

 The following actions are being developed as part of this framework:

‘Getting ready for winter’ campaign

A city-wide communications campaign focused on supporting everyone to be as prepared for increasing winter pressures as possible, with a focus on signposting residents to the range of self-help resources already available around welfare, housing, finances and wellbeing. The campaign has been co-produced by the Council and partners and will centre around the publication of a cost of living webpage on the Council's website. The campaign will also focus on equipping frontline staff from health, social care and the VCSE sectors to appropriately signpost people to.

Community Hubs

A rapidly delivered small grant scheme is being utilised to support the development of 26 community hubs across the city. These hubs will enable local people to coordinate the local response to the cost-of-living and will focus on promoting community activities, organising social action responses and signposting people to local support. Local groups will be resourced to run their hubs physically and/or virtually (e.g. via social media). The Council is working with partners to integrate financial and wellbeing workforce into the hub model.

Cost of Living volunteers

The Council and partners are working together to develop a cost of living volunteer role to build and relieve capacity within the advice sector. Volunteers are likely to be recruited as part of a city-wide campaign before receiving relevant training (including Thrive Bristol mental health training) and guidance on supporting residents with a limited number of activities. Volunteers will then be based in community hubs as a means of light-touch support. 

Welcoming Spaces

A network of Welcoming Spaces – physical venues spread across the city where people will be able to access warmth, social connection and community interaction – is being coordinated as part of the response. Existing community spaces have been invited to be badged under the initiative and promoted via the Getting Ready for Winter campaign. The Council are working with funders interested in supporting the welcome spaces. The coordination of Welcoming Spaces will be interlinked with Community Hubs, the latter being encouraged to open a physical Welcoming Space. To avoid stigmatisation, spaces are being framed as inclusive community spaces rather than emergency support offers.

Monitoring reports

We are developing weekly and monthly reporting to monitor the impacts of the crisis. The weekly reporting contains several core ‘red flag’ indicators which have been identified as the best proxy measures to understand need for support and the acute impacts of the crisis. Many of these indicators monitor service usage, such as Bristol City Council revenue and benefits and citizen’s services data, as a means of understanding the impact and needs of the population. The monthly reporting will include additional indicators alongside narrative evidence provided by front line services to help us to understand the broader impacts of the crisis.

Resources

Contact

Chris Duncan, [email protected]