Deeds, not words: action needed to address poverty

Deeds and not words are required from the Scottish government to deliver an economy that helps tackle poverty, one of its key advisory groups has said. The Poverty and Inequality Commission said that Holyrood ministers must be clearer about how they plan to deliver inclusive economic growth.

The Poverty & Inequality Commission’s role is to provide independent advice to the Scottish government on poverty and inequality; monitoring progress and proposing solutions and monitoring the progress that is being made in Scotland.

In their a report commissioners insist “very little has changed” in how this new agenda is delivered. The report warns of a lack of clarity and of national strategy not being translated down to a local level.

Poverty and Inequality Commission chairman Douglas Hamilton told the BBC: “There is still a lack of clarity around what inclusive growth means, making it all things to all people. As a result, it appears to be more of a concept than an approach that results in real change in people’s lives.

“National strategies aren’t being easily understood or translated at a local level, further stifling the adoption of inclusive approaches to growth. We see a lot of good will towards this agenda, now it needs to be translated into action.”

Poverty statistics in Scotland look at how the lowest income households compare with average income households. A household is considered to be in poverty if their income if less than 60% of the average income for that household type.

A more detailed explanation can be obtained on the Scottish Government website.  We are using statistics for poverty after housing costs.

These statistics highlight the scale of the problem, however do not touch on how this impacts on the lives of those whose options are limited by living on a low income; organisations such as the Poverty Truth Commission aim to give voice to this and to highlight the detrimental effects of living on low incomes.

• 1 in 4 children in Scotland (26%) are living in poverty
• 1 in 5 working age people (20%) in Scotland are living in poverty
• 13% of pensioners in Scotland are living in poverty
• 58% of people in poverty and 70% of children in poverty live in a household where someone is in employment.

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