Cost-of-Living Crisis: No Limits speak up for young people

Natalie Webb, CEO of No Limits - a Southampton Charity supporting Young People spoke at the Cost-of-Living summit.

She told delegates, ‘In Southampton, we already have a third of our children living in poverty, and children are facing a lack of food, fuel, and care. She added it’s not just an adult problem and that young carers are also trying to find solutions for their families.

Natalie challenged delegates with the question, ‘How are we listening to the voice of children?’ She also reported that No Limits are working with increasingly worrying levels of safeguarding concerns. Her ask to the summit was to think about what commitment could be made to the children that live in the city, and what this crisis means for children you see walking down the street. 

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Learning, Cllr Darren Paffey, echoed the need to consider the needs of young people saying ‘Far too often we’re seeing children and young people paying the price for this cost-of-living crisis. Only by working in strong partnership across Southampton will we be able to help those who need it most.’ 

‘I welcome the helpful reminder that No Limits brought us at the summit, that we all have a part to play in ensuring young people don’t become invisible. Our commitment as a council is to tackle the issues that are making life so tough for families here.’

The Southampton Summit brought together organisations from across the city to understand the extent of the crisis locally, as well as to look at practical ways to mitigate the impact on vulnerable people in the city. The summit was funded by a grant to Love Southampton from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities