Financial inclusion in Brighton & Hove

The council is currently looking at Financial Inclusion and what must be done to better support residents.

The council worked with the city's Advice Partnership and key stakeholders on a shared local definition of financial inclusion. This is "having enough resources to meet basic needs adequately and to be able to make choices over a prolonged period to maintain physical and mental well being and participate in community and society."

The council has recently undertaken a significant programme to review its understanding of, and action on, financial inclusion.

This work has led to the creation of a new Financial Inclusion Strategy (April 2013 - March 2016) looking at what must be done to better support vulnerable residents. The strategy and implementation plans were unanimously approved at the council's Policy & Resources Committee on 21 March 2013. The papers can be viewed below.

• Financial Inclusion cover report for Policy & Resources Committee (MS Word 84KB)
• Appendix One: Financial Inclusion Strategy (MS Word 424KB)
• Appendix Two: Implementation Plan One - Commission (MS Word 4.77MB)
• Appendix Three: Implementation Plan Two - Organisational Change (MS Word 50KB)
• Appendix Four: Implementation Plan Three - Partnership Working (MS Word 54KB)
• Appendix Five: Summary needs assessment and findingd (MS Word 57KB)
• Appendix Six: Summary of equalities impact assessment (MS Word 104KB)
• Appendix Seven: Demonstrating engagement (MS Word 40KB)

There are three implementation plans above that describe the way in which the Strategy will be delivered, these are:

• a new commissioning plan to create a Community Banking Partnership (CBP) for the city.
• an organisational change plan describing how the council will ensure it promotes and supports greater financial inclusion and addresses any areas where it inadvertently contributes to exclusion.
• a partnership working plan which sets out how the council will work with its partners in the city.

To ensure the most accurate picture of need, the council undertook a full needs assessment looking at financial exclusion issues for both people and place in the city. This document is shared below.

As the council is required to ensure due regard to understanding impacts on protected groups, a full Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) was undertaken across the whole programme. This enabled an additional check on hidden impacts. This document is shared below.

The council also commissioned Toynbee Hall, a lead national charity in this area, to explore community banking options for the city. 

• view or download Toynbee Hall Financial Inclusion in Brighton & Hove Report (PDF 556KB)

The council engaged with many partners in the development of the strategy and implementation plans, this included an event at the Brighthelm Centre in January 2013. Toynbee Hall facilitated this event which helped to identify the range of actions set out in the partnership working implementation plan.

• view the record of what attendees said on the day (PDF 254KB)

Supporting documents

• Financial Inclusion needs assessment (MS Word 490KB)
• Appendix A: Independent social welfare advice provision (MS Word 73KB)
• Appendix B: Independent advice (MS Word 50KB)
• Appendix C: Banking, credit and deposits in Brighton & Hove (MS Word 66KB)
• Appendix D: Mapping of council services (MS Word 78KB)
• Appendix E: Local authority review (MS Word 30KB)
• Financial Inclusion Equalities Impact Assessment (MS Word 180KB)

Social Need in Brighton & Hove event for faith leaders held on 25 July 2013

• view notes from the event (PDF 110KB)

View or download copies of the following presentations given at the 'Social Need in Brighton & Hove' event for faith leaders held at Hove Town Hall on 25 July 2013

• Census 2011 City Data (PDF 980KB)
• Welfare reform (PDF 119KB)
• Financial Inclusion (PDF 77KB)
• Brighton Food Partnership - overview (PDF 643KB)
• Advice Services (PDF 526KB)
• East Sussex Credit Union (PDF 44KB)
• Interfaith contact group info (PDF 277KB)

Contact us

If you have any questions or would like more information on this programme of work please contact the council's Corporate Policy, Performance and Communities team:

Michelle Pooley

Communities and Equality and Third Sector Team

Brighton & Hove City Council

Telephone: 01273 2955053

Email: michelle.pooley@brighton-hove.gov.uk