Cost of living emergency declared by NCAN

The Norfolk Community Advice Network, of which Age UK Norwich is a steering group member, has declared an emergency following months of sustained demand for cost of living help from people across the city and county.

Referral levels have now surpassed those seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and the partnership of advice agencies have called on local political and local authority leaders to act with a range of recommendations.

Our CEO, Dan Skipper, said “Advice charities are now inundated with people facing impossible cost of living decisions, and we can only do so much with the resources we have. We’ve called for more long-term investment into the advice sector in Norfolk as we’re best placed to help people maximise their incomes, manage debt, access housing or employment support, or other social issues. It’s critical we solve this crisis as otherwise the affects will be seen in our hospital and social care services, which are already under pressure.

We’re managing our waiting lists for services as best we can, but due to the rising prices in society, this is pushing more and more people into hardship. This issue is not going to end in the short-term, so we need sustained local investment to be prioritised to ensure we have an effective model of support for people in the city and county – and we don’t erode our standards of living and reduce peoples health, wellbeing and life expectancy.”

You can read more about the NCAN emergency here

Emily Balsdon, Director of the Norfolk Community Advice Network, spoke to BBC Radio Norfolk about the rising cost of living and how this has inundated NCAN with requests for help, subsequently causing them to declare a cost of living emergency.

Listen to the full conversation here