1. Please advise what data Devon County Council collects on poverty levels in the area covered by the region, or if you do not collect this data, advise which sources the authority uses to collect the data, and, if you rely on the District councils to supply any of this, please advise.
We collect neighbourhood data on poverty from a range of national sources including Indices of Deprivation, 2021 Census (Deprivation Dimensions, Housing Conditions, economic activity, access to car/van etc.), fuel poverty, child poverty, household income, salaries, housing and living costs, and measures of food and fuel insecurity.
The Poverty in Devon topic page on our website, from 2024, Poverty in Devon 2024 – Devon Health and Wellbeing provides further details of how we measure poverty in the county. We have also commissioned and undertaken research with partners on poverty and gathered and shared intelligence with Citizens Advice in relation to poverty and debt.
Devon County Council are also involved in the Ilfracombe Poverty Truth commission Poverty Truth Ilfracombe – One Northern Devon, working with partners and community commissioners to understand the nature of poverty in the town, which experiences the highest levels of poverty in the county, what some of the underlying issues are that create poverty and exploring creative ways of addressing them.
The Devon Cost of Living Index was developed by the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Public Health Teams to highlight cost of living risks at a small neighbourhood (LSOA) and Primary Care Network (PCN) level. The core risk index consists of five indicators (fuel poverty, relative child poverty, food poverty, claimant count and income deprivation rank) to generate an overall score and ranking out of 707 LSOAs and 31 PCNs. This is used to understand risk and target interventions and activity.
2. Please also advise on the categorisation of poverty levels and which departments in the local authority use the data, and where it is published.
Please refer to the response to question 1 and in addition, please use the following links to illustrate how the data is used within the organisation and where it is published:
One Devon Cost of Living Dashboard produced by Public Health: Cost of Living – Devon Health and Wellbeing
Poverty in Devon Topic Overview: Poverty in Devon 2024 – Devon Health and Wellbeing
Deprivation Topic Overview : https://drive.google.com/file/d/18Y-3VtpLRPdrKmGZPCTUhB-FoYFxehrT/view
Deprivation Dashboard: https://www.devonhealthandwellbeing.org.uk/public-health-dashboards/deprivation-dashboard/
Scrutiny Committee Agenda Items on Food Insecurity and Cost of Living Reviews:
Food Insecurity and Household Support: 30/10/23 (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee, 30/01/2023 14:15
Cost of Living Review: 16/11/23: Agenda for Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, 16th November, 2023, 10.30 am – Democracy in Devon
Cost of Living Review: 28/11/24: Agenda for Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, 28th November, 2024, 10.30 am – Democracy in Devon
The Food Insecurity Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Food and Fuel Insecurity in Devon – Devon Health and Wellbeing
The Household Support Fund Impact Assessment: Published Impact Assessments – Impact Assessment
This recent Household Support Fund Freedom of Information request response, published on our Disclosure Log on the Devon County Council website, lists the data for each of the previous Household Support Fund schemes which includes data showing the number of households struggling to afford essentials who sought help from the Household Support Fund support gateways.