Tackling Poverty Inequality Deprivation in Scotland Taking

Tackling Poverty, Inequality & Deprivation in Scotland: Taking forward the Government Economic Strategy Brian Dornan Head of Tackling Poverty Team Public Health & Wellbeing Directorate Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

What is the Government Economic Strategy? The strategic approach to delivering the Government’s purpose: “To focus the Government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth. ” Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

A New Approach • Overarching strategy for all of public sector, focussed on single purpose • Higher level of ambition • Measurable, time-bound economic targets • Council of Economic Advisers & National Economic Forum • Developed in tandem with Budget Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

Monitoring Progress

Mainly…. Solidarity: to increase overall income and the proportion of income earned by the three lowest income deciles as a group by 2017 But also influencing… Cohesion: to narrow the gap in participation between Scotland’s best and worst performing regions by 2017 2020 Child Poverty Target also relevant… Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

and… Ensuring that “equity” underpins the Government’s Strategic Objectives: • Wealthier & Fairer • Smarter • Healthier • Safer & Stronger • Greener Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

What do Poverty, Inequality and Deprivation look like in Scotland? Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

• Poverty is a couple with two children living on less than £ 17, 000 per year, or a single person living on less than £ 7, 500 per year • 1 in 6 people in Scotland are poor, including 210, 000 children, 470, 000 working age adults and 190, 000 pensioners • Poverty is defined and measured using income, but the experience of poverty is not just about goods being unaffordable, and the solution is not just fiscal • Poverty causes social exclusion and is both cause and effect of different experiences in education, the labour market, health, housing and justice Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

• 21% of children are in poverty • 38% of households in poverty have someone in work • 52% of children living in poverty are in households with working adult • 470, 000 working-age adults are in poverty (up from 440, 000 10 years ago) • Not just an area deprivation problem- 77% of people in poverty live outside 15% ‘most deprived’ data zones Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

Experience of poverty “I now buy food and bring it home – cooked chicken and things like that, because I’m scared to use the oven because I know it costs too much money. I only use the washing machine twice a week because I’m scared of what it costs” “I’m really panicking about the rise in gas and electricity prices – and food is now a problem for me too. I am struggling to put food on the table after paying the bills” (source: JRF, “Voices of People Experiencing Poverty in Scotland” 2007) Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

Source: Eurostat. 2006 data. Scotland added.

Inequality • The poorest tenth of the population receive 2% of the country's total income • The second poorest tenth receive 4% • The third poorest tenth receive 8% • The bottom three deciles combined receive 14% - this has not changed in ten years • The Solidarity Target aims to change this In contrast: • The richest tenth have 30% • The top three deciles receive over 50% of all income Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

Key Areas for Action 1. Prevention of poverty and tackling root causes 2. Helping to lift people out of poverty 3. Alleviating the impact of poverty Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

1. Prevention of Poverty and tackling the root causes • Addressing educational disadvantage and underachievement • Tackling poor health • Providing more choices and more chances for young people who are disengaged or at risk of disengagement • Tackling worklessness – particularly inter-generational • Providing the best start in the early years • Regenerating disadvantaged communities • Addressing attitudes, perceptions and values Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

2. Helping to lift people out of poverty • Improve employability (childcare, skills, economic dev) • Increase sustained employment and workplace progression • Joined-up, client centred services • Support better mental wellbeing and resilience • Promote benefit take up and support for those who cannot work • Tackle substance misuse • Address homelessness • Reduce offending and re-offending Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

3. Alleviating the impact of poverty • Increase entitlement and encourage the take-up of free school meals • Abolition of prescription charges • Funding free personal care for older people • Providing free bus travel for older people and discounted travel for younger people • Most older people are not poor • Tackling fuel poverty among the poor • Developing the concept of a “living wage” Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

Key Questions: • Are these the right areas for action? • Where should we concentrate our efforts to ensure delivery of the Solidarity Target? Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

UK policy • How well do reserved and devolved policies currently complement one another? • Are aspects of UK policies barriers to tackling poverty? • What needs to change? Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

Key Questions: • What should an anti-poverty framework look like in post-concordat Scotland? • An agreement between Scottish Government, Local Government, Business, Third Sector / Civic Society? Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

What does the section on Local Government need? • An explanation of the contribution LAs can make? • An account of the scale of contribution required? • Firmly linking the SOA process to delivery of the Solidarity Target (and 2020 child poverty target)? • Case studies of best practice? • What else? Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

Practical issues • Engagement with 5 CPPs in late May / early June. • Intensive period of drafting Framework in July, August, early September this year. Process for reaching agreement with COSLA? Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team