Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, ⁠what steps the Church of England is taking to help support families in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire with the cost of living.

The Church delivers community projects across the country to support individuals and families with the cost of living. Across the country churches are delivering around 31,000 community projects, including 8,000 food banks, 4,000 parent and carer groups and 3,000 community cafes.

In Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, the Newcastle Foodbank operates a network of distribution centres hosted in local churches, such as Newcastle Congregational Church, operating under the Trussell Trust. Many local churches across the Diocese also operate as Warm Spaces to help vulnerable individuals and families save on their domestic energy bills. Through its Transforming Communities Together initiative and partnerships with organisations like the Church Urban Fund, the diocese supports practical courses (such as Money Talks and debt-relief guidance) to help individuals manage their finances. More information is available here: https://lichfield.anglican.org/transforming_communities/