Residents from across the borough are being asked to share their experiences on the cost of living.

Bolton Council are currently working with partners from across the borough to write an Anti-Poverty Strategy to support all residents, visitors, and wider stakeholders.

And to support this piece of work, the council are working with Greater Manchester Poverty Action to undertake a resident’s survey on how the rising cost of living is impacting people in Bolton.

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “We really want to hear about your experience of the cost of living and understand what is important for you. 

“We are committed to working collaboratively, focusing on practical actions that the council and its partners can take that will make a real difference for our community for years to come.”

Questions within the survey include how the cost of living has impacted residents, what actions people have taken to save money, what key factors lead to poverty, what gaps there are in support for residents and more.

The survey alongside other consultation and engagement activities will be used to shape the draft strategy and action plan.

Through stakeholder engagement activities, the council have identified key themes that are critical focus areas for their strategy and ongoing anti-poverty work.

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These include prevention and reduction; focusing on long-term responses to prevent and reduce poverty and the actions that the council and its partners can undertake to address the root causes of poverty, aiming to prevent it and reduce its prevalence in Bolton. 

Another key theme is mitigation, supporting people struggling in poverty now.

Partnership working is another key theme, strengthening partnership working to ensure better collaboration between organisations to utilise strengths, resources, and experiences more effectively. 

And the final focus area is residents’ experiences and future engagement, increasing the involvement of people with lived experience of poverty in service design and delivery. 

Responses within the survey will be anonymised and grouped with responses from others, all questions are optional.

The deadline to complete the survey is Wednesday, February 28.

If you have any further questions about this survey or would like a word copy. Please contact: penny@gmpovertyaction.org. 

To take part in the survey, go to: https://bit.ly/Bolton_APS.

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.