Source: City of Plymouth
A new Cabinet champion has been appointed to support work to address poverty and raise the living standards of people in Plymouth.
Councillor Maria Lawson, who represents Plymstock Dunstone, is the Council’s new Building Bridges to Opportunity champion and is supporting Cllr Chris Penberthy, Cabinet member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities in work that builds on partnership work to address poverty across the city.
Councillor Lawson will help champion the Building Bridges to Opportunity programme, which aims to embed work to tackle poverty and the causes of poverty in city plans and strategies to ensure Plymouth is a city where people:
- Don’t fall into poverty
- Experience less harm from poverty
- Can life themselves out of poverty
The programme, which builds on the work by partners in Plymouth to support residents during the cost of living crisis, has a wider focus and acknowledges that poverty impacts residents of all ages.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities, said: “I am delighted to have Councillor Lawson’s experience and drive on board to support and champion this vital work.
“We came together with organisations across the city to respond to cost of living crisis but we now need to take a longer-term approach to tackling the root causes of poverty and ensuring that people in Plymouth are empowered to lift themselves out of poverty.
“There’s a huge amount to do but I am confident that with Cllr Lawson supporting and the strong partnership network across the city, we can make a real difference in ensuring all residents in Plymouth have the opportunity to thrive.”
Councillor Lawson said: “This is an issue I am truly passionate about and I’m looking forward to working alongside Cllr Penberthy to champion work to address poverty and build opportunities for all residents in Plymouth.
“I know that there’s some excellent work already taking place but we are keen to listen to those most impacted and to identify any gaps in services or potential problems that need to be addressed.”
Councillor Lawson has also been appointed as the Vice-Chair of the cross-party Cabinet Advisory Committee on Child Poverty, which has also agreed to act as a reference group for the development of the Building Bridges to Opportunity activity.
Councillor Lawson joins a number of Cabinet champions that have been appointed to support Cabinet members in delivering critical priorities for the city. There are already champions in place supporting work to address Violence Against Women and Girls, Bus transport, Walking and Cycling, Welcoming City and Veterans.