FIGURES are showing an increasing number of people in Wyre Forest who have to deal with poverty in their everyday lives.

To attempt to combat this, Wyre Forest District Council held a workshop with with groups and organisations aimed at talking the issue.

The workshop featured presentations from Act On Energy, local food banks and the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Each organisation spoke about their experiences of helping people in poverty and also the issues and concerns they have about how groups can help in the future.

District councillor Anne Hingley, cabinet member with responsibility for health, well-being and housing, who opened the event, said: “Wyre Forest has three of the most deprived wards in the county and there are many organisations that are playing their part to tackle poverty.

“The aim of this workshop was to bring those people together to see if we can join up and be even more effective and learn from others experiences.”

The workshop highlighted areas where more work is needed and also where groups could join together in their efforts.

Kate Bailey, district council strategic housing services manager, said: “The workshop was a great insight into all the work which is taking place to tackle poverty in the area.

“We were able to share experiences and contacts so that in the future we have an even clearer picture as to what services are available and how we can make access to them as simple as possible.

“It was also to identify if there were any gaps in provision.

“The event showed that on the whole all the organisations involved are doing what they can to provide a service to those in the greatest need.”