Breakout session - NGN plans for the rest of GD2

3 questions asked of stakeholders around NGN’s Y2 performance review.

What are your priorities for the next two years?

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What are your risks in terms of projects we might be funding – how can we support you?

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What we could / should do differently?

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Overall feedback to question 1 – What are your priorities for the next two years?


Stakeholders told us that their priorities are focused on helping those that are seldom heard and do not walk in asking for support but need it.

Other concerns were listed below with some feedback included:

  • How to access those who aren’t walking in for support?
  • Supporting those individuals who are really struggling / early interventions are key
  • Utilising outreach facilities to get to those who are not proactively coming for help
  • Trying to identify the hidden vulnerabilities
  • Being more proactive / engage with more partners especially around vulnerability
  • Continuing to provide the services we are – capacity and capability. Able to respond to changing needs eg. cold and energy price increases
  • Not just spending money for the sake of spending money – really reaching those who need it most
  • Getting through the doors of those who are hard to reach and wouldn’t otherwise come to us. Through tenancy support visits we can see who is hiding behind those doors and help them

  • Fuel poverty support is important, but also we have targets to reach in providing advice on low carbon technologies and support to decarbonise homes – both those who are fuel poor/vulnerable but also those who are able to pay. Ensuring that energy advice is therefore holistic
  • Sustainability and integrating more
  • Ageing population and more people becoming carents therefore important to make every contact count
  • Providing emotional / wellbeing support as well as physical/practical support
  • Cost of living crisis is now a long-term issue, not a moment in time, we are seeing many more people with deficit budgets and debts are increasing
  • Priority for us is expanding networks and influencing at a strategic level. Holistic support – bespoke to the individual
  • Continuing to improve and meet demands.

Overall feedback to question 2 – What are your risks in terms of projects we might be funding

– how can we support you?

Other risks were listed below with some feedback included:

  • Services reducing (CA closed in Huddersfield) v rising demand for help and support
  • Flexibility around funding is needed – partners need to be able to react and have ongoing conversations with NGN
  • Partners acknowledged that they need diversity in terms of the funding they receive and not become too reliant on one funder (namely NGN)
  • Smaller organisations being funded may be more ‘at risk’ than some of the larger ones
  • Breaking down barriers for people. COL terminology – as this is long term, should we now be thinking about this more as sustainable living?
  • Giving people a choice of channel to engage. Prolonging the period of access to support to allow breathing space so that people can tackle the issues at the right pace for them. ‘Make it simpler'

Overall feedback to question 3 – What we could / should do differently?

Feedback was received from our stakeholders to say that NGN should keep doing what they’re doing.

Look ahead to GD3

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