Norwich City Council is poised to become one of the first in the country to declare a state of “poverty emergency”.

On Tuesday, a motion tabled by Labour’s Karen Davis will ask the council to formally recognise the economic climate brought on by global recession and the Covid-19 pandemic as an emergency - and make magnify efforts to combat it.

Ms Davis, who is cabinet member for social inclusion, said: “This motion, in declaring a poverty emergency, is just one of our responses to the horror of soaring, absolute poverty which is blighting our city.

“It also highlights the shameful indignity residents face from a harsh and deliberately failing social security system.

“We need to shine a spotlight on this crisis and make it not only the continued priority it deserves from this council but most importantly from government itself.”

The motion will be debated by the full council on Tuesday evening.