Day: July 16, 2024

Holyrood Committee seeks views on the impact of the Child Poverty Act

The Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee has opened a consultation to consider the impact of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017.

The Act aims to measure, tackle and report on child poverty in Scotland. It set out specific targets that seek to virtually eradicate child poverty by April 2030. The Act also established the Poverty and Inequality Commission, which has responsibility for scrutinising child poverty reduction targets.

The Committee has launched its call for views to understand the impact of the Act, and in particular the difference that has been made by having the framework for reducing child poverty set in law.

In addition to interested individuals or groups, the Committee would like to hear from local authorities, health boards, academics with expertise in this area and private and third sector organisations that are working to reduce child poverty.

The Committee also wants to hear from people who engaged in the scrutiny of the Bill in 2017, before it became an Act, so that it can assess whether the Government’s approach has lived up to expectations.

The issue of child poverty has featured prominently in the Committee’s work, including during an inquiry that focused on parental employment where the Committee encouraged the Scottish Government to “supercharge” its efforts.

Speaking at the launch of the call for views, Collette Stevenson MSP, Convener of the Social Justice Committee, said: “The Child Poverty Act is a landmark piece of legislation, enshrining in law targets to virtually eradicate child poverty by April 2030.

“As we are now more than halfway towards the date when the 2030 targets are due to be met, our Committee would like to hear views on how the Act is working in practice.

“We’re really keen to understand whether putting the targets into law has been effective and what might have been different had the Scottish Government not taken this approach.”

Angela Rayner to ‘kickstart new devolution revolution’

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will pledge to transfer more powers out of Westminster

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will today (Tuesday 16 July) pledge to kickstart a new devolution revolution to transfer more powers out of Westminster and into the hands of local people.

In her first letter to local leaders, Rayner will urge regions without devolved power to “partner with the government to deliver the most ambitious programme of devolution this country has ever seen”.

She will invite local leaders in devolution deserts – those with local knowledge and skin in the game – to work together to take on powers in areas like transport, adult education and skills, housing and planning, and employment support. These new agreements will mean local leaders can make decisions that benefit their communities better, while boosting economic growth and opportunity.

Devolution is central to the government’s mission to boost economic growth, but only around half of the people in England currently benefit from these arrangements. The letter from the Deputy Prime Minister makes clear that the government’s door is open to areas who want to take on devolution for the first time, with the government committed to encouraging more local authorities to come together and take on new powers.  

In the letter, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: ‘For too long, Westminster government has tightly gripped control and held back opportunities and potential for towns, cities, and villages across the country.

‘Last week, with the Prime Minister, I had the pleasure of meeting the metro Mayors in England. We discussed how to have a proper, grown up conversations around economic growth, and how to deliver that through better housing, skills, and jobs for local people. 

‘I want to work with more places to help them use these enhanced powers and role – because I want to drive growth in every part of the country. For any area considering it, now is the time to take the plunge and speak to us about how we can work with you to transform your regions.’

Greater Manchester, one of the places where devolution has existed for the longest and powers are deepest, has been one of the UK’s fastest growing areas over the last 20 years and is forecast to grow by more than the national average in coming years. 

This has been driven by powers allowing the Greater Manchester Mayor to encourage investment into the city, boost skills, and work towards an integrated transport system.

In other parts of the country, Mayors have played a crucial role in attracting new investment – with major manufacturers such as Boeing and McLaren bringing new jobs to South Yorkshire, while West Yorkshire is now home to the UK’s fastest growing digital industry outside London.

OECD research suggests that if the autonomy of UK cities was to increase to the same level as Helsinki, then productivity would increase significantly.

Agreeing new devolution deals will mark a monumental shift of power away from Westminster into communities – giving those with skin in the game the power to make the best decisions for their people and make a difference to their lives.

The letter comes ahead of the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, which will build on the momentum of the government’s first week, by setting out how it will make a difference to the lives of working people. 

More than six thousand LEZ fines in first month of enforcement

The city council has released the first Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) figures since the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) came into force in Edinburgh.

A LEZ was introduced in Edinburgh on 31 May 2022, along with LEZs in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee, restricting the most polluting vehicles and benefiting everyone’s health.

In Edinburgh, a two-year grace period was in place, meaning no penalty charges were issued during this time, with enforcement beginning on 1 June 2024.

The figures released yesterday showed 6,030 PCN fines have been issued for the month of June 2024. This is broken down as: 5,756 level 1 penalties (first contravention) and 274 level 2 penalties (second contravention). There were no penalties issued for further levels.

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Scott Arthur said: “Whilst our objective is to ultimately see zero non-compliant vehicles enter our LEZ, I’m conscious that this is a process which will take time to fully materialise.

“I was encouraged to see the relatively low level of second contraventions in the figures alongside none for further levels. This shows clearly that people are getting used to the LEZ and modifying their transport habits accordingly.

“We’ve already seen that public attitudes towards LEZs are improving across Scotland, with a national poll earlier this year indicating that 60% of respondents were in favour of the zones, with just 21% opposed. This is clear evidence that people are seeing the many benefits of LEZs, and how they link in with our wider aims to make our city cleaner, greener and healthier for everyone.

“I’d also reiterate that any revenue that we generate from the LEZ will be reinvested into the running of the zone, with any surplus funds supporting the LEZ’s wider goals. 

“These ambitious goals include achieving net zero, accommodating sustainable growth, cutting congestion, and improving air quality, amongst other commitments to create a safer and more people-friendly city. Edinburgh is a city with big ideas for the future and the LEZ forms a key part of these.”

The revenue generated from LEZ fines won’t be used to repair Edinburgh’s broken roads and pavements, however.

All revenue generated from PCNs contribute towards running the LEZ. Any surplus revenue may only be used to support LEZ objectives, which are primarily to reduce harmful emissions from transport and encourage sustainable travel.

The LEZ also forms part of the city’s wider ambitions under our 2030 Climate Strategy and other initiatives such as the City Mobility Plan and the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision.

It is anticipated that the LEZ will significantly reduce harmful emissions of nitrogen dioxide from vehicles. This will improve public health. 

A map of the LEZ is available on the Council’s website.