inequality – Page 6 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

More Power to the People!

Another £5.6 million for People and Communities Fund

A fund which gives community groups the power to tackle poverty and inequalities in their areas has been given a £5.6 million funding boost.

Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil confirmed community-led regeneration will be given extra support through the People and Communities Fund (PCF), on a visit to the Broomhouse Health Strategy Group this morning.

The People and Communities Fund will be increased from £9.4 million to £15 million as it benefits from support through the dedicated £10 million funding for Empowering Communities announced by the First Minister last November.

This investment builds on the Government’s commitment to giving people the power to take charge and make changes in their own communities.

The additional funding will be allocated to a variety of projects, including community groups who are promoting change in disadvantaged communities through training, employment, healthy eating and volunteering opportunities.

Mr Neil made the announcement ahead of this afternoon’s Stage 1 Debate for the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill. He said:

“We know every community in Scotland has different needs, and that we all have our own ideas about how we can make our areas better.

“This Government recognises that by giving communities the power and confidence to shape their own futures, we can tackle poverty and address inequalities more effectively.

“Through the People and Communities Fund we will provide money direct to community groups to help them tackle local issues on their own terms.

“This new money will support the aims of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill, which will give people a stronger voice in the decisions that matter to them and will help communities who wish to take over public land and buildings.”

Since PCF launched in 2012, 156 projects have received funding worth £18.3 million those projects include the Broomhouse Health Strategy Group which was awarded almost £30,000 to run cookery and exercise sessions which encourage local people to make healthy lifestyle choices.

The sessions have helped increase self-esteem and confidence among local people, many of whom had never cooked a meal from scratch before, and it has supported their skills development with some developing the confidence to move into local volunteering roles.

Lucy Aitchison, from the Broomhouse Health Strategy Group said: “It’s been great to develop our health and wellbeing services, and you can see them making a real difference to people’s lives.

“To give people the skills to be able to look after themselves and their family more healthily is really significant. We’re so pleased to have the support to be able to address these local needs.”

For more information about the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill visit:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/engage

Details on The People and Communities Fund can be viewed at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/regeneration/community/pcf

Mind the gap: richest 1% will own more than rest of the world combined

Forget 7:84 – fifty years on it’s 1:99

Back in 1966, The Economist magazine published a (then) startling statistic that 7% of the UK’s population owned 84% of the country’s wealth. Almost fifty years on, and …

The combined wealth of the richest 1 per cent will overtake that of the other 99 per cent of people next year unless the current trend of rising inequality is checked, Oxfam warned today ahead of the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.

The international agency, whose executive director Winnie Byanyima will co-chair the Davos event, warned that the explosion in inequality is holding back the fight against global poverty at a time when 1 in 9 people do not have enough to eat and more than a billion people still live on less than $1.25-a-day.

Byanyima will use her position at Davos to call for urgent action to stem this rising tide of inequality, starting with a crackdown on tax dodging by corporations, and to push for progress towards a global deal on climate change.

Wealth: Having it all and wanting more, a research paper published today by Oxfam, shows that the richest 1 per cent have seen their share of global wealth increase from 44 per cent in 2009 to 48 per cent in 2014 and at this rate will be more than 50 per cent in 2016. Members of this global elite had an average wealth of $2.7m per adult in 2014.

Of the remaining 52 per cent of global wealth, almost all (46 per cent) is owned by the rest of the richest fifth of the world’s population. The other 80 per cent share just 5.5 per cent and had an average wealth of $3,851 per adult – that’s 1/700^th of the average wealth of the 1 per cent.

Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, said: “Do we really want to live in a world where the one per cent own more than the rest of us combined? The scale of global inequality is quite simply staggering and despite the issues shooting up the global agenda, the gap between the richest and the rest is widening fast.

“In the past 12 months we have seen world leaders from President Obama to Christine Lagarde talk more about tackling extreme inequality but we are still waiting for many of them to walk the walk. It is time our leaders took on the powerful vested interests that stand in the way of a fairer and more prosperous world.

“Business as usual for the elite isn’t a cost free option – failure to tackle inequality will set the fight against poverty back decades. The poor are hurt twice by rising inequality – they get a smaller share of the economic pie and because extreme inequality hurts growth, there is less pie to be shared around.”

Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, Chief Executive Officer of EL Rothschild and chairman of the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism, who is speaking at a joint Oxfam-University of Oxford event on inequality today, called on business leaders meeting in Davos to play their part in tackling extreme inequality.

She said: “Oxfam’s report is just the latest evidence that inequality has reached shocking extremes, and continues to grow. It is time for the global leaders of modern capitalism, in addition to our politicians, to work to change the system to make it more inclusive, more equitable and more sustainable.

“Extreme inequality isn’t just a moral wrong. It undermines economic growth and it threatens the private sector’s bottom line. All those gathering at Davos who want a stable and prosperous world should make tackling inequality a top priority.”Oxfam made headlines at Davos last year with the revelation that the 85 richest people on the planet have the same wealth as the poorest 50 per cent (3.5 billion people). That figure is now 80 – a dramatic fall from 388 people in 2010. The wealth of the richest 80 doubled in cash terms between 2009-14.

The international agency is calling on governments to adopt a seven point plan to tackle inequality:

Clamp down on tax dodging by corporations and rich individuals
Invest in universal, free public services such as health and education
Share the tax burden fairly, shifting taxation from labour and consumption towards capital and wealth
Introduce minimum wages and move towards a living wage for all workers
Introduce equal pay legislation and promote economic policies to give women a fair deal
Ensure adequate safety-nets for the poorest, including a minimum income guarantee
Agree a global goal to tackle inequality.

Today’s research paper, which follows the October launch of Oxfam’s global Even It Up campaign, shines a light on the way extreme wealth is passed down the generations and how elite groups mobilise their vast resources to ensure global rules are favourable towards their interests. More than a third of the 1645 billionaires listed by Forbes inherited some or all of their riches.

Twenty per cent of billionaires have interests in the financial and insurance sectors, a group which saw their cash wealth increase by 11 per cent in the 12 months to March 2014. These sectors spent $550m lobbying policy makers in Washington and Brussels during 2013. During the 2012 US election cycle alone, the financial sector provided $571m in campaign contributions.

Billionaires listed as having interests in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors saw their collective net worth increase by 47 per cent. During 2013, they spent more than $500m lobbying policy makers in Washington and Brussels.

Oxfam is concerned that the lobbying power of these sectors is a major barrier in the way of reforming the global tax system and of ensuring intellectual property rules do not lead to the world’s poorest being denied life saving medicines.

There is increasing evidence from the International Monetary Fund, among others, that extreme inequality is not just bad news for those at the bottom but also damages economic growth.

Suffer the little children: one in five Edinburgh children lives in poverty

‘We can and must do better for our children’

Edinburgh is one of the UK’s most prosperous cities – but more than ONE IN FIVE children in the capital (21%) are living in poverty, according to the latest research.

Report_on_child_poverty_map_2014

The Campaign to End Child Poverty (CECP) has today published new figures that provide a child poverty map of the whole of the UK. The figures are broken down by parliamentary constituency, local authority and ward (see report, above). The research was conducted for CECP by the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University.

The figures reveal the wide disparity in poverty rates across the UK, between regions and striking variations even within regions. London scores badly – containing ten of the top 20 constituencies with the highest child poverty rates in the UK and 14 of the 20 highest-rate local authorities. However there is variation even within regions: in London, Bethnal Green and Bow has a child poverty rate of 49% compared to just 15% in Richmond upon Thames.

In Scotland, Glasgow has the highest rate of child poverty, with the problem affecting a third of all youngsters in the city. Across Scotland some 220,000 children are living in poverty — a fifth of all youngsters — and campaigners are convinced this total will rise.

CECP is demanding urgent political action at all levels and urges the Westminster government to rethink its tax and benefit policies, claiming these could leave as many as 100,000 more children in poverty by 2020.

They also want local and national housing policies to focus on keeping rent bills down in both the social housing sector and the private rental market.

Chair of End Child Poverty David Holmes said: “These figures reveal just how widely and deeply child poverty reaches into our communities, even those areas generally regarded as well off. Far too many children whose parents are struggling to make a living are suffering as a result and missing out on the essentials of a decent childhood that all young people should be entitled to. We can and must do better for our children.

“Poverty ruins childhoods and reduces life chances. Failing to invest properly in children is a false economy: already child poverty costs the country £29bn each year and in the long run taxpayers will foot an even higher bill for correcting the damage.

“We are calling on politicians of all parties to urgently set out a clear roadmap towards ending child poverty which includes the additional actions needed and the measures by which progress will be tracked.”

CECP Scotland spokesman Neil Mathers said: “It’s important we look behind these figures at what is driving this level of poverty in our country.

“Politicians of all parties, at Westminster and Holyrood, need to act to tackle the root causes of poverty, including low pay and soaring housing and childcare costs. There is nothing inevitable about this poverty. We must build on the good work that is happening in Scotland to support families.”

He went on: “We know there is ambition in Scotland to do more. We now need to act so that all our children have a fair start. We can and must do better for our children.”

POVERTY AND INEQUALITY IN EDINBURGH

The city’s strategic community planning body The Edinburgh Partnership has created poverty and inequality profiles of each of the city’s twelve Neighbourhood Partnerships.

To see the profiles for Forth and Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnerships click on the link(s) below:

Forth NP

Inverleith NP

Opponents must put differences aside to tackle poverty

Whatever the result of Thursday’s vote, Scotland will still have deep social problems to address and campaigners are urging both sides in the referendum debate to unite to tackle poverty.

As the referendum campaign enters its final few days the Poverty Alliance has called on all sides to maintain the passion and commitment that has been shown through the campaign and to turn it to finding lasting solutions to poverty and inequality in Scotland.

Throughout the referendum campaign issues of poverty and social justice have been central to the debates. Whether on issues of food poverty, low pay, unemployment or child poverty, all sides have stated that they are committed to making real change to create a more socially just Scotland.

On 19 September politicians and activists from both campaigns must begin to find ways of working together to bring people together and tackle poverty.

The referendum has shown that not only is there an appetite for social change, but that more people than ever want their voices to be heard. With more than 100,000 people registering to vote in the last month alone, we need to find ways to ensure that the democratic impulse that many people have experienced for the first time is sustained and turned into genuine grassroots democratic politics, regardless of the outcome of the referendum.

Whatever changes over the coming months and years we are calling now for all political leaders to commit to ensuring that the voices of those who are living in poverty, those who have been the subject of so much debate during the campaign, are genuinely involved and actively shape the new Scotland that will emerge.

A little over three weeks after the referendum the Poverty Alliance will be coordinating Challenge Poverty Week, which will take place from the 12 -18 October.

Poverty Week leaflet

This will be a week of debates and action designed to show what has been done to tackle poverty. It will be one of the first opportunities after the referendum for campaigners to come together to show what they intend to do to address poverty now. We hope campaigners from both sides will get involved in Challenge Poverty Week and show the same enthusiasm for tackling poverty as they have for our constitutional future.

Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “This is an exciting time in Scottish politics and many people will consider the referendum to be the most important election of their lives.

“It is fantastic to see so many people registered to vote and I hope turnout will be high on the day.

“Poverty and social justice has been at the centre of the debate on independence and it been heartening to see so much debate about the type of Scotland we want to live.

“In 2012-13, 16 per cent of people in Scotland were living in poverty, more than 800,000. People on both sides of the debate have agreed that this is unacceptable and that we need to re-think our approach to tackling the problem, whether it is low benefit levels, unemployment or low pay. What the campaigns disagree on is how we best achieve this.

“It has become increasingly clear that the results will be close and it is important that people on both sides of the debate believe their voices will be heard regardless of the result. In particular we must ensure that the voices of those who are rarely heard, those people living in poverty, are taken seriously after the result of the referendum is known.

“Both campaigns must be prepared to set aside their differences and work together for a better Scotland, one where the blight of poverty is effectively tackled.”

Greens: Citizen’s Income would reduce inequality

Green Yes, the Scottish Green Party’s campaign for a Yes vote in the independence referendum, has published a paper showing how a Scottish Parliament with responsibility for welfare could implement a Citizen’s Income to reduce inequality.

The Greens have worked with Dr David Comerford, research fellow in economics at the University of Stirling, as well the Citizen’s Income Trust, to model the impact of the policy on household incomes.

One of the aims of the policy is to reduce the incredible complexity of the tax and benefits system, which penalises those with unreliable work or insecure housing. A longstanding Scottish Green policy, the Citizen’s Income would sweep away almost all benefits and the state pension and replace them with simple, regular payment to every child, adult and pensioner.

The paper is the latest in a series produced by the Green Yes campaign showing how independence opens up possibilities for progressive change in Scotland. Other papers have covered jobs, wages and the economy, local democracy, banking reform and digital rights.

CITIZEN’S INCOME – 70% CENT OF HOUSEHOLDS BETTER OFF

Under the model detailed in the paper:

– Weekly payments are proposed of £50 to children, £100 to adults and £150 to pensioners.
– 70 per cent of households would be better off than presently.
– Those in the lowest income bracket would benefit the most.
– Measures of inequality would be brought in line with some of the most equal countries in the world.
– Income earned in addition to the citizen’s income would continue to be taxed progressively.

Patrick Harvie MSP, Co-convener of the Scottish Greens, said: “This is a policy to recapture and renew the idea of a welfare state that looks after everyone. Scotland is a wealthy country, and we should be able to choose a different approach to austerity and the harmful attitude which pits people on poverty pay against those on benefits.

“A Citizen’s Income would ensure everyone’s basic needs are met. It’s a simple idea that could transform this country by reducing inequality and allowing each of us to make our own decisions about working, caring, learning and creating, without ending up on the breadline.”

Alison Johnstone, Green MSP for Lothian and member of Holyrood’s Economy Committee, said: “The referendum debate allows us to imagine what sort of Scottish welfare system we could design after a Yes vote, and this is the Greens’ vision for a simpler and fairer approach. A Citizen’s Income would be an especially positive policy for women as it would make it easier to combine working and caring roles.”

PEPping up digital inclusion

Digital participation to tackle inequality and boost online access

A new strategy outlining how digital technology can be used to tackle inequalities and benefit communities across the country was launched by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop at PEP in West Pilton Park yesterday afternoon.

The National Digital Participation Framework for Local Action maps out how helping people to get online and become confident users of the internet can open up new possibilities in healthcare, education and economic development. It also details how anyone can access support and training on digital skills at home, at work and in communities.

The strategy was launched as Ms Hyslop visited Pilton Equalities Project (PEP), where she met staff, volunteers and members of the local community. PEP provides a range of services for older and other vulnerable adults in North Edinburgh, including computer classes, which encourage independence and reduce isolation.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said: “Digital technology is transforming our society and changing the way we live – how we buy goods and services, how we build and maintain friendships and how we communicate with people and organisations in our local communities and across the world.

“The Scottish Government is determined Scotland is seen as a world-leading digital nation by 2020. We want everyone to be able to reap the social, cultural and economic benefits the internet can bring.

“While good progress is being made with the delivery of digital infrastructure, more needs to be done to enable people to become active digital citizens and share in the benefits the internet can bring.

“The Pilton Equalities Partnership is an excellent example of an organisation that supports people who are digitally excluded. The Scottish Government, through our Digital Participation Strategy, intends to support similar organisations who wish to make a positive contribution to increasing digital participation.”

Jean Gallagher, who attends computer classes at PEP, said: “I was delighted when a friend advised me that there was a place nearby that had a computer class for the elderly and, although I was a bit apprehensive, I decided that If I was to understand about the technology of today’s world I had to take the plunge.

“As a complete novice seven years ago, not even knowing how to turn on a computer, I can now do most of my shopping online, I do the family banking online, keep in touch with friends and family abroad via Skype and those nearer hand via social networking.

“I feel there is no way that at 81 years old would I be able to keep up with the modern way of living if it had not been for the staff at the PEP centre. I owe my new way of life to them and will be eternally grateful.”

Chris Yiu, Director of Digital Participation at SCVO said: “Everybody should have an opportunity to benefit from the internet, regardless of background or circumstances. Three in ten people in Scotland still lack the basic skills needed to get things done online. If we are serious about being a world-leading digital nation then the time has come to close this divide.

“SCVO welcomes the publication of the Digital Participation Strategy, and is delighted to play a leading role in this important agenda. By working across the public, private and third sectors to coordinate and scale up digital participation projects, together we will make a real and lasting difference to people and communities across Scotland.”

PEP manager Helen Tait said: “PEP provide the facilities, training and on-going digital support to enable older and less able people within our community to take advantage of the social and economic benefits of digital technology. Much of the focus is directed to understanding and using general web-browsing, email, social media, online shopping, and public services. It also creates the opportunity to increase socialisation through peer support. We also ensure that users are aware of, and know how to handle, the security issues that associate with online services.”

Johnstone calls for Citizens Income to address poverty divide

CHILD POVERTY: JOHNSTONE HIGHLIGHTS CITIZENS INCOME IDEA

Green MSP for Lothian Alison Johnstone has urged the Scottish Parliament to consider new ideas – including a basic income for all citizens – to tackle poverty.

Speaking in a debate on child poverty yesterday Ms Johnstone, a member of Holyrood’s economy committee, highlighted a range of research including:

A paper by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which says the single biggest risk to progress is benefit cuts and growing use of sanctions.
Research by the Fawcett Society which says a fifth of British women’s income comes from benefits, while for men the figure is one-tenth; therefore the loss of benefits and services hits women hardest.
The Jimmy Reid Foundation report ‘In Place of Anxiety’. The authors Willie Sullivan and the late Ailsa McKay focused on tackling the poverty wages that create in-work poverty.

Ms Johnstone said: “We live in a wealthy nation yet inequality is increasing, and the austerity agenda has a particular impact on women and children. Families struggling have not chosen to be in poverty, and are bearing the brunt of the UK cuts making the situation worse.

“One idea we would do well to explore is the citizen’s or basic income. This would replace our incredibly complex welfare system and end the stigma that many people face.

“It’s essential we measure our economic success on how we close the gap between rich and poor and how we create a fairer society for children.”

Health inequality gap continues to widen

Scotland’s Chief Statistician today announced the publication of the latest Long-term Monitoring of Health Inequalities: Headline Indicators report, the sixth annual publication on headline indicators following the Equally Well (2008) report of the Ministerial Task Force on Health Inequalities.

The main findings are:

The highest level of relative inequality continues to be seen in alcohol-related deaths among those aged 45 to 74 years. However, this rate has fallen to its lowest level in the reporting period (1998 to 2011). Relative inequality levels for first alcohol-related hospital admissions have remained stable since 1997.
Despite stabilising in recent years, the level of relative inequality for deaths among those aged 15 to 44 years has increased since 1997. A similar pattern can also be seen in deaths among those aged under 75 years.
Between 1997 and 2011, the death rate for coronary heart disease (CHD) among those aged 45 to 74 years fell by 61%. The reduction was slower in the most deprived areas of Scotland than elsewhere, meaning that relative inequality has increased slightly over the long-term while the absolute inequality gap has narrowed. However, there are signs that relative inequality has stabilised in recent years.
Despite no clear long term trend, in recent years heart attack hospital admission rates have increased and inequalities widened.
Over the longer term, most indicators have shown signs of stability in one or both measures. Inequalities in low birthweight are now stabilising having decreased between 2006 and 2008, while other indicators, such as CHD deaths, have stabilised following increases in inequality.
Additional inequalities information, regarding healthy birthweight babies (babies with an appropriate weight for gestational age) as well as incidence and mortality rates by cancer type, is included in this report for the first time in 2013.
Full results for all indicators are available in the publication.

The gap in health outcomes between the most deprived and least deprived areas of Scotland is reported for a variety of indicators in both absolute and relative terms. The latest figures include data up to 2011 for most indicators.

Commenting on the latest statistics, Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson said that tackling income inequality is the root of the challenge. He said:

“Overall, health in Scotland is improving, and people are living longer, healthier lives. Reducing the health gap between people in Scotland’s most deprived and affluent communities is one of our greatest challenges.

“At the root is the issue of income inequality – we need a shift in emphasis from dealing with the consequences to tackling the underlying causes, such as ending poverty, fair wages, supporting families and improving our physical and social environments.

“In the face of the UK Government’s welfare cuts, we are working with all of our partners to tackle poverty and inequality and help those who want to work to get into work.

“Many people in Scotland are concerned about the welfare policies of the UK government and the implications they could have on them and their families. And that is why we want to develop a Scottish system which provide support for those who need it.

“This illustrates the fact that the full powers of independence would provide the opportunity to make substantial progress on tackling health inequalities.

“We are continuing to take decisive action in areas we have control, for example to address alcohol consumption, reduce smoking rates, encourage active living, healthy eating, and promote positive mental health. But without full control over areas like welfare, we are left having to deal with UK Government welfare policies that only threaten to make things worse.”

Have your say on poverty and inequality in North Edinburgh

North Edinburgh residents have an opportunity to have their say on how best to tackle the growing gulf between rich and poor at a session in the City Chambers next week.

The city council is to host a ‘tackling poverty and inequality’ workshop session, specifically for North Edinburgh residents, on Wednesday 3 July from 10am – 12.30pm at the Business Centre, Centre Chambers.

The city council’s Tracy Boxall explained: “This workshop has been organised by the Poverty and Inequality Theme Group, part of the Edinburgh Partnership’s community planning arrangements in the city. The Theme Group currently has four main work streams, one of which is considering actions or interventions to tackle poverty and inequality in the city.

A sub-group of city partners, headed up by Dr Margaret Douglas from NHS Lothian, is progressing the development of a ‘framework’ of actions, with the aim of shaping future work to tackle poverty and inequality. The sub-group is now seeking wider input to the framework’s development. The workshop you have been invited to is part of this process. It will be facilitated by the independent organisation, Poverty Alliance.

Workshop participants (local people and other representatives from Neighbourhood Partnerships) will be asked to work together, firstly by considering the causes of poverty and inequality. The workshop will then explore what actions are needed to address the issues; the extent to which the actions are in place already in the city; their impact; and what more might be done.

The outputs from the workshop will be written up and passed back to the Poverty and Inequality Theme Group, to help inform their future work and that of city partners. The overall findings will also be shared with you as soon as possible.

Prior to the session, a background paper on poverty in the city will be circulated for your information. I hope that you are able to attend to help with this important work.“

Interested? Please RSVP to tracy.boxall@edinburgh.gov.uk

New report shows widening poverty gap

The wealthiest households in Scotland are 273 times richer than the poorest – Oxfam

A new report by Oxfam Scotland says that instead of tackling inequality and poverty in Scotland, the existing economic model is making them worse and needs to change. Our Economy: Towards a New Prosperity says too much power and wealth is held by too few people.

The report challenges politicians, policymakers and businesses to focus on what is really good for the country rather increasing economic measures like Gross Domestic Product , and argues that for too many Scots work is no longer a route to a better life. Some 40% of those living in poverty in Scotland are in work – a figure that has risen substantially in recent years.

It also highlights the growing inequality at the heart of our economy, with the wealthiest households in Scotland 273 times richer than the poorest households.

Judith Robertson, Head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “The existing economic model is not working. Despite decades of economic growth, and a myriad of anti-poverty policies, the reality for too many Scots is a cocktail of high mortality, economic inactivity, mental and physical ill-health, poor educational attainment, and exclusion from the decisions that affect them.

“This is a structural problem caused by our economy. If we are serious about tackling these issues, then our politicians and policymakers need to make a fundamental change. Without that change, poverty and inequality will continue to shame us and drag all of us down for generations to come.”

paper outlines a series of policies which together challenge economic behaviours which damage Scotland’s collective prosperity, whilst promoting positive interventions.

The report is based on Oxfam’s work with local partners in Scotland. It shows that people in local communities have the appetite and ability to start building local economies that meet their needs, but need more help from government and greater recognition that their contribution goes beyond profit.

The proposals contained in Our Economy include:

Putting a duty on all public authorities to make sure their policies and initiatives reduce poverty and inequality – monitored by a new Poverty Commissioner for Scotland.
Building on the work of the Oxfam Humankind Index for Scotland to create a new measure of economic success, beyond GDP, which reflects what really matters to people.
Creating a Scottish Ethical Business Initiative (SEBI) setting out key aspects of acceptable behaviour for businesses operating in Scotland.

Judith Robertson added: “We need to create a new prosperity that will benefit everyone in society.

“At the heart of this new prosperity would be community-led economies which focus on the quality and distribution of growth – creating livelihoods for the many, not profits for the few. Our Economy shows this is practical and achievable. We just need the will to work together to make it happen.”

Our Economy is being launched today at Oxfam partner The GalGael Trust, which provides training in traditional woodworking skills for people left without work for long periods of time.

Gehan Macleod of GalGael said: “The current economic structure simply doesn’t provide enough good jobs. Our experience shows it isn’t people from under-resourced communities that are deficient, it is the economy which is deficient in providing opportunities for all – opportunities that recognise people’s inner need to contribute to their communities as well as their outer need for a living wage.

“We’ve seen time and again how those who’ve been labelled work-shy or unemployable love to graft if there is respect and dignity in the work. That is what the work in Our Economy looks like.”

The report has won support from across Scottish civil society.

Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary, said: “If Scotland is to rebuild a fairer, more equal and sustainable economic and social model it is essential that strong civic voices contribute to the debate. This report, covering key areas such as employment and tax, forms one such contribution. Policymakers at all levels should take note and act”.

Martin Stepek, Chief Executive of the Scottish Family Business Association, said: “I applaud Oxfam Scotland for producing the challenging and radical Our Economy report. The current situation is morally and socially unacceptable. We have to change some fundamentals to create a fairer, happier society for all.”

James Proctor, Strategic Relations Officer at Co-operatives UK, said: “Scotland was the birthplace of early co-operative enterprise and the principle of working together for shared benefit is a fresh and vital one for our times. We warmly welcome this call for a new model of wealth creation, based on co-operative values of openness and equality.”