Agenda item

The Commission considered a report setting out details of the ‘One City, Many Communities’ approach to the cost of living crisis over the winter of 2022/2023 which led to 105 Welcoming Spaces across the city, together with an assessment of the learning from this, and information on next steps.

Key points highlighted by officers in presenting the report:

1. The cost of living crisis response in Bristol had been set up to enable the city to come together in support of communities and residents through the challenging winter months between October 2022 and March 2023. The response saw the development of and co-ordinated new ways of working between different sectors. It created new ways of sharing information and supplied funding opportunities to organisations best able to serve Bristol’s citizens and communities.

2. By working with city partners, funding was secured through a private donor for the first 17 Welcoming Spaces. Two rounds of social action grants investing £445,000 were then made available through Quartet Community Foundation. By April 2023, there was a network of 105 Welcoming Spaces across the city. The network included community groups and centres, faith spaces, care homes and leisure centres.

3. An online map had provided people with up-to-date information about the availability of Welcoming Spaces and cost of living crisis support.

4. Key feedback and learning was summarised as follows:

a. It took time to build trust and become established as a Welcoming Space. Spaces already set up and trusted by their communities saw more people using them through the Welcoming Spaces initiative.

b. The survey analysis of Welcoming Spaces showed that the biggest impact of the One City response on citizens was improved wellbeing and health through social connection.

c. The Welcoming Spaces initiative gave encouragement and impetus to build community capacity, leading to new community spaces.

Summary of main points raised/noted in discussion:

1. The community benefits delivered through the Welcoming Spaces initiative were welcomed.

2. It was noted that community groups had been able to apply to a social action small grants fund through Quartet to support welcoming spaces and social action over the coming year and to build upon what had worked well during winter 2022/23. Up to date information about welcoming spaces and cost of living support was also available on the Council’s website.

3. It was noted that the city’s libraries had been involved in the warm spaces initiative; Friends of Libraries groups in Hillfields, Clifton and Shirehampton had successfully bid for Welcoming Spaces funding to provide activities, hot drinks, and support on days when these libraries were not usually open.

4. A suggestion was made by a member that in bringing forward new high-rise development proposals, greater consideration should be given by the Council to enabling community use of lower/ground floor space.

5. It was noted that a key challenge to be taken forward into the post-May 2024 committee model through the relevant policy committee was that of making funding and the availability of welcoming spaces sustainable into the future, noting that many people in the city continued to face very real difficulties due to the national economic situation.