A shocking three-quarters of households in Bolton are struggling to pay their energy bills and manage travel costs, it has emerged. The stark statistics were presented to Town Hall chiefs who have drawn up a plan to tackle poverty in the borough. The data was collected by the non-profit organisation Resolve Poverty, was presented in a report as part of Bolton Council’s Tackling Poverty Strategy which was discussed by Bolton Council cabinet group this week.
Eleven “priority actions” to address the root causes of poverty were detailed. READ MORE: Bolton's child poverty figures among worst in the country Low wages since 2010 linked to 44% rise in child poverty in UK working families These include helping people to maximise their income, addressing employment barriers and improving access to affordable housing as part of a plan to prevent and reduce poverty. The strategy was developed with Age UK, Resolve Poverty, Bolton at Home, DWP, Bolton Wanderers and Public Health.
But with communities across the borough areas facing rising costs and poverty levels, critics have argued the plan does not go far enough to tackle the issue head-on. Conservative leader Cllr Martyn Cox, who represents Heaton, Lostock and Chew Moor said: “I do think there’s very little about tackling poverty in this report, most of it is about alleviating poverty – which is a good thing in itself. But I don’t read too much into it which says ‘this is going to solve poverty’.
“I think it's inter.