Mansfield District Council brought together partners across the district for its first Cost of Living Summit in October, aiming to offer help to residents throughout the colder months.

The event discussed plans to immediately benefit residents, including a Warm Rooms scheme and a cost-of-living roadshow.

There were keynote speeches from the Fuel Bank Foundation and Feeding Britain, followed by a group activity to capture challenges and gaps in the system that could be collaboratively filled.

Mayor Andy Abrahams said: “Every day in the news, we hear more about the pinches on finances.

“By hosting our first summit with all partners around a table in one place, we are demonstrating to residents we understand their concerns and are working in partnership with others to get a plan of action that delivers for them.

“The work we do as team Mansfield together will help us formulate actions. I hope all our communities will benefit from the actions we bring together.

“These are unprecedented times, but I am pleased we acted swiftly and look forward to sharing more details about both schemes in the coming weeks.”

The Warm Rooms scheme will be a network of warm spaces open to people struggling to heat their homes over the colder months. These will run with the support of council partners, including Mansfield Museum, Oak Tree Leisure Centre, and community and voluntary organisations.

Cost-of-living roadshows will see council officers and its partners show residents where to access support.

Partners at each event include Department for Work and Pensions, Nottinghamshire County Council, Citizens Advice, Direct Help and Advice, and Family Action.

Andrew Forsey, director of Feeding Britain, thanked the council for showing leadership and bringing people together.

“We are going to need to support one another if we are to help people safely through these months ahead,” he added.

“As Feeding Mansfield, like the rest of our network, braces itself for the challenging months ahead, you can count on us for support on three fronts — direct support for practical action, ideas and templates for increasing take-up of statutory support schemes, and reconfiguring services so they are truly accessible to local people.”

Matt Cole, director of the Fuel Bank Foundation, explained fuel poverty and reminded the group why action was needed.

He said: “Rather than providing crisis food, we provide crisis top-ups where the focus is on heat. Folk who are struggling are struggling in silence – they don’t want their kids to know, making it more challenging. There is both a practical and emotional impact to keeping everything going; this drives us.

“We have helped over 660,000 people in fuel crisis across the UK this year. So many people are experiencing this, and we can’t solve all problems, but by working together, we can target and help make it people-focused.

“People are losing the resilience they may have once had, and that is what we are trying to build back.

“We do everything we can through partners and acknowledge if organisations do something better, let’s work together and build on what is already there.

“I am excited about today as there are committed people with a track record of delivering in this room. We are also doing this now before winter comes and the crisis unfolds.”

The first cost-of-living roadshow is at Mansfield Museum on Thursday, 13th October, from 5pm-7pm.

Others are planned for:

Warsop Methodist Church, Tuesday 1st, 1pm-3pm.
Oak Tree Leisure Centre, Mansfield, Thursday 3rd, 5pm-7pm.
Stacey Road Community Centre, Mansfield, Monday 7th, 5pm-7pm.

Trowell Court Community Centre, Mansfield, Tuesday 8th, 1pm-3pm

For information and advice visit the council’s dedicated cost-of-living webpage, go to www.mansfield.gov.uk/costofliving