I know first-hand from speaking to families across Medway, that the cost of living crisis is impacting many families.

When I was elected as the new Leader of Medway Council, I pledged to bring forward a cost of living crisis response plan within the first 100 days of our new Labour & Co-operative administration. This plan has brought together, in one place, the support that our local community can access, both directly from us as a council, but also the wide range of support from our partners.

As well as publishing the plan, we will be getting the information on accessing support out to Medway residents in a variety of ways, from updating our website, to sending leaflets via schoolbook bags, making information available in our community hubs, to regular updates on our social media platforms.

This plan outlines our four objectives in tackling the cost of living crisis:

• Responding to urgent need in Medway
• Minimising cost and financial support
• Maximising incomes and supporting health and wellbeing
• Building financial resilience and managing debt

We will be focussing our efforts to:

• Ensure that local people can receive all the financial help and support they need
• Provide a centralised information point to help residents access the information and guidance they need
• Work closely with our partners to coordinate and maximise our impact

I recognise there will now be individuals who perhaps have never had to ask for support like this before because of how widely the cost of living crisis is impacting Medway. I am urging all of our residents to make use of the resources we have across Medway at this most challenging time to support household budgets.

Supporting Medway residents suffering hardship is a priority for the new Labour & Co-operative administration and sits at the heart of our agenda to ensure our community can access the help and advice they need to support them through these difficult times. We are also investing in technology to make sure residents are getting all the support they are entitled to, putting more money in their pockets.