Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle loneliness in (a) Stoke-on-Trent, (b) Kidsgrove and (c) Talke.

The government’s first annual report on tackling loneliness was published in January 2020. It highlighted the progress made so far across the country, including in the West Midlands.

The report highlighted the good work of the 126 projects supported through the £11.5m Building Connections Fund to bring people and communities together. 14 grants, totalling £1.2million, have been made to projects in the West Midlands. This includes grants made to Staffordshire Housing Association Limited to provide long-term social support to older people and to Saltbox to support older people in Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding areas.

In addition, the Government has recently announced a plan to tackle feelings of loneliness and social isolation during the coronavirus outbreak and period of social distancing. The plan includes funding for loneliness organisations, a new #Let’sTalkLoneliness public campaign and a new ‘Tackling Loneliness Network’ convened by Government of high profile charities, businesses and public figures to help connect groups at risk of isolation.