Following NCAN’s emergency call to address the current cost-of-living crisis, over 144 members from the VCSE sector, local authorities, the health sector as well as two of nine local MPs joined the NCAN partnership meeting on Wednesday 9^th November to discuss practical solutions and political actions to preserve people’s resources and dignity this winter.

In this document you will find a list of services and resources that were shared during the meeting by participants. We also have a shorter signposting list of local organisations that can help with either advice, food provision or mental health, so feel free to use either as appropriate.

To raise awareness of the situation and demand immediate action from the government and local authorities, NCAN have recently featured in: The Eastern Daily Press, BBC Look East and BBC Radio Norfolk.

Next steps

To take NCAN’s asks further forward, MP Clive Lewis’ team have suggested to organise a lobby in Parliament meeting. This will need to involve people who can draw on either their own lived experience of hardship due to the cost-of-living emergency. They also want to hear from those who can bring along evidence and speak about client examples of hardship. If you are interested in being part of that lobby meeting, please email emily@ncan.co.uk

The Steering Group of NCAN will continue to ask decision makers and policy makers for their pledges to:

• freeze evictions to avoid people falling further into crisis
• reform the welfare benefits system so that rules like the 2-child limit and benefit cap stop pushing people into poverty
• continue paying benefits until they prove that the recipient’s circumstances have changed positively. This is preferable to pausing payments and having those people fall into financial crisis.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 25^th January at 10am. Here is the direct link. Please email us at info@ncan.co.uk if you’d like a calendar invite and to join our mailing list. We will be updating about our follow up actions and asking local decision makers to update us on their progress with our recommendations.