50-point Fairer Scotland Action Plan aims to tackle poverty and inequalities

By The Press Association5th October 2016News ScotlandAusterity, Benefits, Inequalities, News Scotland, Poverty / Austerity, Welfare / Benefits

A new 50-point action plan aimed at creating a fairer Scotland by 2030 has been unveiled by ministers.

Communities Secretary Angela Constance hailed the publication of the “bold and ambitious steps” – which include a £29 million programme to tackle poverty – as a “watershed moment”.

Ms Constance (pictured) said: “Our ambition is for a fair, smart, inclusive Scotland with genuine equality of opportunity for everyone.

“Our Fairer Scotland Action Plan backs up that ambition with concrete action.

“It contains 50 specific steps to create a more equal society – including eradicating child poverty – and a new £29 million programme to tackle poverty.”

The blueprint outlines 50 measures to be taken over the five years of Holyrood’s term, with a progress report to be published by the end of 2019.

The commitments include establishing a national Poverty and Inequality Commission and while the report states the “full details of what the commission will do are still being firmed up”, it is expected to make tackling child poverty a key part of its work.

The £29 million programme to tackle poverty, which includes £12.5 million of European Social Fund cash, will “test and deliver innovative approaches to combat poverty and improve people’s lives” over the next two years.

Economy Secretary Keith Brown said: “This investment from the European structural funds is yet another illustration of these advantages and is why maintaining our EU membership and preserving this kind of funding for the long-term is a top priority.”

Other commitments will see the development of a financial health check system to help ensure those on low incomes are making the most of their money while the Scottish Government is also pledging to “do more to promote the living wage” and ” do more to help people in Scotland work flexibly”.

Plans to give every home access to superfast broadband by 2021 will help poorer families reduce their costs, according to the report, and an affordable energy summit will be convened this autumn.

Ministers also promise a new fund to help disabled people run for council in next year’s local government elections and work will be done to help make sure refugees who come to Scotland can get crisis grants more quickly.

From 2017, public-sector bodies will also have to meet a new socio-economic duty, ensuring they “take full account of poverty and disadvantage” when major decisions are being made.

Ms Constance said Scotland is the first part of the UK to ” commit to making all public bodies consider how our big decisions tackle poverty by implementing a socio-economic duty”.

Speaking about the action plan, she added: ” This is a watershed moment in Scotland and a significant milestone in our quest for equality.

“Through these bold and ambitious steps, Scotland will be a fairer, more equal country for everyone by 2030.”

Jayne-Anne Gadhia, chief executive of Virgin Money, which has pledged in the plan, said: ” I firmly believe that businesses as well as individuals have a key role to play in this movement. I fully support the Scottish Government for taking this positive step forward.”