Financial Inclusion Network
FIN News: 4 February 2026
Welcome to this week's Financial Inclusion Network news
The Financial Inclusion Network is an informal group of over 250 members taken from the Public and Third Sectors which covers all areas of South Lanarkshire. This network is to share information from a wide range of themes. We hope to provide a new update each week that can be accessed by all members at any time to see what is going on in the area under the headings below. If you would like an item included within our weekly news, please complete our short online form here: https://forms.office.com/e/Ht5w7iAuFi. For further information, please email communities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk
Money is not the only problem – Education
Limiting the Cost of the School Day is at the heart of every school. Schools are determined poverty will not become a barrier to success in school.
https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/directory/182/money_is_not_the_only_problem/category/520
Improvement Service
Visit our website to see news, updates, reports, research and much more. Or sign up to our monthly newsletter to get news direct to your inbox. The latest edition has a report on community based advice reducing stigma and improves wellbeing - https://www.improvementservice.org.uk/
Changeworks – Free Training Sessions
Changeworks are a social enterprise committed to the decarbonisation of Scotland and are currently partnering with South Lanarkshire Council to offer free Low Carbon Living Sessions. In these sessions employees will be able to benefit from
- hearing from energy experts on saving energy at home, reducing energy costs and managing energy debt
- receiving personalised guidance on sustainable technologies like heat pumps, solar panels and electric vehicles
- support with finding funding and grants to make sustainable living more affordable
- have the option of free, convenient and anonymous follow up support that can be accessed via a call back request.
Sessions are completely free and can be booked in-person or online for your organisation. Changeworks are also running a free open online session where all are welcome. The open session titled Save Energy, Save Money: Low Carbon Living is on Wednesday 11 February at 1pm. The session is online and will last around 45 minutes. It is simple and easy for you and your colleagues to join - once they complete the registration form they will receive the Teams link in their calendar.
The link to register for our open online session is here – https://www.changeworks.org.uk/geh-events/?cw_eventid=c45f8d40-7cda-f011-8544-7ced8d9c611d&cw_eventtype=Combined&cw_eventtime=Wednesday%2C%20February%2011%2C%202026%201%3A00%20PM%20via%20Teams%20webinar
For an organisation to book their own in-person or online session please express your interest here:- https://www.changeworks.org.uk/low-carbon-living-sessions/
Public Health Scotland – Together we can
We are delighted to announce the launch of Public Health Scotland’s new 10 year strategy, Together we can. Our strategy sets a clear and ambitious direction for improving health and wellbeing across Scotland, driven by evidence, collaboration, and the voices of people and communities across the country. Scotland faces urgent challenges to health and wellbeing, including persistent inequalities, preventable conditions, and rising pressure on public services.
Please follow the link to access the strategy:-
Liber8 Lanarkshire/Beacons Initiative – Vacancies
Liber8 are seeking to recruit a full time Senior Support Worker and a 21 hour part time Development Worker to join our Beacons team to support the ongoing successful Recovery Orientated System of Care, (ROSC) which underpins the successful Beacons Initiative. Knowledge, understanding and experience of working with people who are experiencing complex social and emotional circumstances including alcohol/drug use or mental health difficulties is required.
https://www.liber8.org.uk/features/2026/01/22/new-vacancy/
Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre
Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre are hosting an Open Day on Monday 2 March. You are invited to come and meet our team and discover the services that we offer from emotional support, criminal justice advocacy, group work and much more.
We have a morning session starting at 10am and an afternoon session starting at 1pm. You can secure your free tickets here: Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre Events - 2 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite. We would also love for you bring along any posters or leaflets from your own projects so we can learn about what is available in Lanarkshire for our service users.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) - UK Poverty 2026
UK Poverty 2026- The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK. Some of the key findings of the report include:
- More than one in five people in the UK, around 14.2 million, were living in poverty.
- Britain’s poorest are getting poorer: 6.8 million people are now living in very deep poverty, almost half of everyone in poverty, the highest level on record.
- Poverty has hardened, not eased: the average person in poverty now lives 29% below the poverty line, compared with 23% in the mid-1990s.
- Child poverty has climbed again: 4.5 million children are in poverty, rising for the third year in a row.
- Hunger is spreading fast: 1.1 million more people in poverty cannot afford enough food than two years ago bringing the total to 3.5 million, while 2.8 million more people overall are now food insecure bringing the total to 7.5 million.
- Work does not guarantee security: around two-thirds of working-age adults in poverty, 5.4 million people, live in households where someone is in work.
- New JRF analysis shows that, under central Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) projections, the headline poverty rate will remain broadly unchanged (21.3% to 21.1%) between 2026 and 2029.
- Current policies will see little progress towards meeting the government’s manifesto commitment to end the mass dependence on food banks.
The full UK Poverty 2026 report can be found using this link:- https://www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2026-the-essential-guide-to-understanding-poverty-in-the-uk
Defibrillator to help community thanks to wish list
A potentially life-saving defibrillator has been installed in Hamilton – thanks to the council’s Community Wish List.
