Isle of Wight programme to tackle living costs backed by council

The Isle of Wight council voted to find money from different budgets to help residents through the winter

Money will be freed up in a bid to help those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis on the Isle of Wight.

The island's council unanimously backed measures to help residents cope with rising cost pressures at a meeting on Wednesday.

They include a new working group to help community groups access funding.

Councillor Richard Quigley said more than half of Island households would be under food or energy stress this winter.

He said around £50,000 from the tree planting budget had already been reallocated to the programme, and various other grants "were floating around".

Some of the money will be given to the Footprint Trust, a group on the island that visits homes and helps people reduce their energy costs.

"All we can do is keep agitating. We can't pretend this will be easy. People are less interested in words and more interested in action," Mr Quigley added.

The programme will see the working group ally with community partners to address the emergency, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Andrew Garratt said what happens over the winter and through to next year will be a crisis, and some may have to live with the effects for the rest of their lives.

The council also voted to call on Parliament to ensure a right to food was written into law and champion a real living wage for all workers.