Tag: Poverty

The rich get richer, but 80,000 Edinburgh citizens live in poverty

Efforts to tackle poverty in Edinburgh have put almost £24 million into the pockets of residents who need it most, according to a report published yesterday (Friday 11 October).

Edinburgh’s latest End Poverty Annual Progress report looks at how partners are responding to the recommendations put to the city by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission in 2020. 

Around 80,000 people in Edinburgh are currently living in poverty, including 20% of all children.  

The report reveal grants and welfare advice has increased by 20% over the last year, helping residents to access millions of pounds in unclaimed benefits, and that positive collaboration between the council and partners has also led to:

  • Supporting 5,000 people into work or learning (a 19% increase on the previous year)
  • Driving down bills for 900 homes thanks to new energy efficiency measures
  • Securing savings worth £206k for tenants through Energy Advice Support (an average of £428 per household)
  • Helping to prevent homelessness for 461 households
  • Over 9,000 free school meal payments and nearly 8,400 clothing grant awards
  • Supporting 95% of all pupils to reach positive destinations after school
  • Encouraging payment of the living wage (up 80 in a year to 720 accredited employers)
  • Agreeing Council contracts committed to paying the real Living Wage (96% of suppliers, up 14%)
  • Introducing a new Regenerative Futures Fund, a third sector led programme bringing £15m of new investment

Marking this year’s findings, shared during Challenge Poverty Week 2024, the Council Leader Cammy Day made a visit to Fresh Start in West Pilton.

One of the many partners involved in helping to tackle poverty in Edinburgh, Fresh Start is a charity which offers a food pantry and helps people who have been homeless with essential supplies. 

The full report will be considered by members of the Policy and Sustainability Committee when it meets on Tuesday 22 October.

Council Leader Cammy Day said: “We have shown that when we come together as a city, we can make a real difference. And this difference really can be life changing.

“We’ve put more money directly into the pockets of those people who need it most this year, also helping 5,000 people into work or learning. We’ve retained Edinburgh’s 95% record for positive destinations for school leavers, and as part of our Housing Emergency we’ve been able to build more new Council homes this year than the previous two years combined.

“The Council’s budget decision to allocate an additional £500,000 investment in actions to address poverty this year is also helping to increase support to foodbanks and other frontline services tackling poverty.

“Yet, for all our combined efforts, poverty remains one of the biggest challenges of our times. There are 80,000 people in our city who are living on incomes below the poverty threshold, and they are hurtling towards another winter of money worries.

“Without additional urgent action, one in five children in this city – Scotland’s most affluent city – will continue to grow up in poverty. So, we have clear asks to Scottish and UK Governments on the support we need to meet the poverty targets we have set together. We also know there is much more we can do by working with local partners, so we’ll work on a refreshed partnership led programme to improve the impact of our work to prevent destitution.

“Next year will mark the mid-point between the publication of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission’s final report and our city’s target to end poverty by 2030. We must be more motivated than ever to take all steps necessary to give the very best future we can for Edinburgh’s children and young people.”

Fanette Genais, Fundraising Manager for Fresh Start, said: “Our food pantry and shop allows people to choose items they need and our starter packs help people who have been homeless and who don’t have many belongings to set up a new life, from white goods to bedding.

“I’m really pleased to see the new Regenerative Futures Fund set up and I’m looking forward to seeing it tackle poverty in our city.”

End Poverty in Edinburgh Annual Progress Report (1)Download

Charity urges greater support for those with arthritis

Versus Arthritis, the leading charity supporting those with arthritis and other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in Scotland, is marking World Arthritis Day tomorrow (Saturday 12 October) with a call for greater community-based support for children, young people and adults living with arthritis.

Marking the day, Versus Arthritis has published the report, Putting the Pieces Together in Drumchapel, which shows how tackling MSK conditions is about ‘more than just healthcare’ and that support within and by communities is vital in improving the lives of Scots living with arthritis.

A staggering one in three people in Scotland are affected by musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions like arthritis, which includes problems that affect our bones, joints and muscles. Unfortunately, MSK conditions will remain one of the leading causes of disease and injury in Scotland over the next 20 years.

Arthritis is often debilitating, isolating and can dramatically impact people’s quality of life. In fact, those with arthritis are 20% less likely to be in work and around one in five people with arthritis experiences anxiety and depression. The impact can also be felt by businesses, as MSK conditions are the third most common cause of sickness absence, with over 20 million working days lost per year.

MSK conditions are also more common in areas of greater poverty, and with Scotland facing some of the worst health inequalities in Europe, according to Public Health Scotland, the challenge is to ensure that care and support across the country is equitable and meets the needs of people locally.

Drumchapel is one such area where there are high levels of deprivation and associated health problems, and where there are gaps in supporting people with arthritis. But crucially, as this report points out, it is also an area of mutual support, community organisation, partnership and networks. There are opportunities to make a real difference.

In line with this year’s World Arthritis Day theme (Informed Choices, Better Outcomes), the conclusion of the Versus Arthritis report is that MSK conditions must be understood in terms of the places where people live, meet and interact, including how they access and use information about support and care.

Alan McGinley, Policy and Engagement Manager Scotland, said: “This Versus Arthritis report highlights that ‘softer services’, such as community and peer support groups, matter greatly, and that alternatives to formal care that support wellbeing are important in living well with arthritis.

“That is why Versus Arthritis is calling for a ‘whole community’ approach in looking after the wellbeing and health of those with MSK conditions. We firmly believe that by ensuring our healthcare services are understood in the context of community networks and support, we can build a future where people with arthritis can live the lives they choose.”

ACHE report_digitalDownload

Edinburgh School Uniform Bank needs your outgrown coats

⭐We really need your outgrown coats!⭐

Clear out your cupboards and donate pre-loved coats to ESUB. We work with a number of community spaces around the city offering free to access rails of coats and warm clothing. The need is greater than ever.

We are looking for all child and adult sizes to keep up with demand from our community partners.

👉Information about our drop off points can be found here:

ESUB drop-off locations

Holyrood votes for action on Winter Fuel Payment

UK Government urged to reverse ‘damaging’ decision

The UK Government’s decision to introduce means testing for the Winter Fuel Payment must be reversed, according to MSPs.

Following a debate as part of Challenge Poverty Week, the Scottish Parliament voted in favour of a motion that the UK Government reverse its decision to restrict entitlement to the benefit. Labour MPs Richard Leonard and Alex Rowley supported the motion.

Fourteen Scottish Labour MSPs, including Edinburgh MSPs Sarah Boyack, Foysol Choudhury and Daniel Johnson, voted with their leader Anas Sarwar against the motion.

First Minister John Swinney said that as a result of this damaging decision, Scottish Government analysis indicates roughly 900,000 Scottish pensioners will no longer be entitled to support with heating costs this winter.

Commenting after the debate, the First Minister said: “More austerity is not the solution to the restrictive fiscal environment in which the UK Government, and governments across the globe, find themselves.

“It is a mistake to think that action to tackle poverty for our most vulnerable citizens are costs to be mitigated. These measures are investments in our people, our communities and our nation’s future. I have urged the UK Government to deliver an Autumn Budget that recognises this reality.

“Scotland’s Parliament has spoken, and I repeat my call for the UK Government to reverse its damaging decision to restrict entitlement to Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners.

“The Scottish Government will continue to support households with their energy bills and tackle fuel poverty. However the UK Government must ensure their budget in October provides the necessary support to those who need it most.”

Free winter coat exchange launches at Fort Kinnaird tomorrow

The Leith Collective at Fort Kinnaird is launching its annual winter coat exchange tomorrow (Tuesday 1st October) to provide the local community with access to pre-loved coats for free during the colder months.

The independent store, located between Mango and WHSmith, is inviting local residents and businesses to donate good quality winter coats they no longer need, with men’s and children’s coats in highest demand.

Members of the local community will then be able to browse the collection of coats instore and pick up one up for themselves and their family, completely free of charge, with no questions asked.

The initiative builds on last year’s success, where more than 10,000 coats were donated and distributed across the region.

Sara Thomson, founder of The Leith Collective, said: “People often discard their old coats or leave them hidden at the back of a wardrobe when they are still in perfectly good condition and could provide someone else warmth over the winter months.

“A comfortable winter coat is a basic necessity, but for families that have been continually stretched, it can be yet another essential item that they are having to sacrifice, so we invite anyone who needs support to make use of the service this year.

“We’re also very grateful to everyone who donated last year, and hope people are able to support again this year, our only ask is that the coats donated are still in a good quality condition and that all personal belongings have been removed from the pockets.”

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our partnership with The Leith Collective and the hugely important initiatives Sara and the team run all year round to benefit our local community – and the winter coat exchange plays a huge part in this.

“Not only has it provided valuable support to those who need it most for three years running, it also offers shoppers the opportunity to make sustainable choices for pre-loved coats that they no longer need. I look forward to seeing the impact I’m sure it will have again this year.”

The Leith Collective showcases the work of more than 300 artists and makers from all over Scotland, brought together by a common aim to reuse, recycle, and reclaim. It resells items that may otherwise have been destined for landfill and all of its stores also host a range of creative workshops focused on sustainability.

For details on participating in this year’s coat exchange or The Leith Collective’s creative workshops, email Info@theleithcollective.com or visit www.leithcollective.co.uk.

For more information about Fort Kinnaird: www.fortkinnaird.com

More than 10,000 free coats to be redistributed to those in need this winter 

The Leith Collective launches Winter Coat Exchange to coincide with energy price cap rise

On Tuesday 1st October 2024, the energy price cap will rise by 10%, taking a typical annual household bill to £1,717. One Edinburgh Community Interest Company predicts this increase will push many struggling families over the edge.

To help in the fight against poverty, The Leith Collective is launching its Winter Coat Exchange on Tuesday 1st October to coincide with this energy price cap rise. Having redistributed almost 10,000 free coats last winter, founder Sara Thomson predicts even more will be needed this year to provide warmth and comfort to those in desperate need.

According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, more than one million people live in poverty in Scotland, with nearly half of those people (490,000) living in very deep poverty. The energy price cap rise will hit those trapped in poverty the hardest and will no doubt force many to sacrifice basic essentials such as a warm winter coat.

And so, The Leith Collective is calling on businesses, organisations, charities and community groups across Scotland to register as an official Winter Coat Exchange Collection Point. That way, they can redistribute good quality coats to those who need them – free of charge, no questions asked – and provide much-needed comfort this winter.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Sara said; “This is the fourth year of running the Winter Coat Exchange and sadly I think our help will be needed more than ever this year.

“So many people are already at breaking point because of the cost of living crisis, and now gas and electric bills are set to rise yet again. Last year we redistributed almost 10,000 coats to those in need and we’re bracing ourselves for even greater demand this winter.” 

One of the first organisations to sign up to the scheme this year was the Edinburgh CIC, Let the People Sing. Founder Vicky Scoular said; “Going without basic necessities such as a warm winter coat can have a hugely detrimental impact on a person’s dignity and on their mental wellbeing.

“So we’re proud to be playing our part in the fight against poverty by signing up to be an official Winter Coat Exchange Collection Point and we implore as many other local organisations to do the same so we can make a real difference.”

Organisations can sign up to become an official Winter Coat Exchange Collection Point at www.we-relove.com, the sustainable online marketplace from The Leith Collective.

The website also enables individuals in need to enter their postcode and find their nearest collection point, so they can get a quality coat without charge and without judgement.

Edinburgh to provide boost in funding to combat poverty and inequality

Councillors have agreed to invest £100,000 towards the Regenerative Futures Fund (RFF), a new multi-million-pound initiative to make Edinburgh a fairer place to live.

Acting on the Capital’s pledge to take all the actions necessary to eradicate poverty in Edinburgh, the Council’s support will help kickstart an ambitious £5m to £10m fundraising plan.

With every £1 contributed by the Council, the Regenerative Futures Fund expects to leverage £5 to £10 from other sources of funding, significantly boosting the support available for community projects across the Capital.

The money will be used to support between 10 to 15 community organisations over the next decade, providing them with stable, long-term funding of up to £100,000 per year to create sustainable solutions that will address the root causes of poverty and inequality in Edinburgh.

It also builds on commitments made by the Council in February as part of its budget-setting exercise to prioritise poverty fighting projects, including £500,000 towards child poverty reduction, £100,000 for a Youth and Community Welfare Transition Fund, £25,000 to support the Big Hoose project which helps families experiencing hardship with household items, alongside close to £3m towards the city’s homelessness spend.

Council Leader Cammy Day said: “I’m delighted that we’ve had support from Councillors to make this investment into the future fairness of our city.

“Back in 2020 Edinburgh became the first UK city to set a target date to end poverty and we remain committed to doing everything we can. We know that this is not an easy task but we must be ambitious and drive the change that is so greatly needed.

“The creation of the RFF not only directly responds to our poverty fighting goals, it answers the calls we heard loud and clear from the Edinburgh Poverty Commission: we need a city-wide partnership fund to help us end poverty together.

“Today’s decision is a promise to work hand-in-hand with those who understand poverty firsthand, ensuring that their voices help us towards Edinburgh’s solutions.”

Leah Black, Head of Regenerative Futures Fund, Foundation Scotland said: This is a significant step towards creating a more equitable and sustainable Edinburgh.

The Regenerative Futures Fund is driven by the principle of shifting decision-making power to those most impacted by poverty, allowing communities to lead initiatives based on their own experiences and insights.

“We’ve spent close to two years designing a scheme co-created by a diverse range of people including those with lived experience of poverty and I’m excited to see how it will empower our communities to effect real change in the lives of those living in poverty.”

An annual progress report on the program will be provided to the Policy and Sustainability Committee in Autumn 2025.

New school uniform guidance published

Reducing the cost of the school day

New national guidance which aims to reduce the cost of school uniforms for families has been published.

Following consultation with schools, families, uniform suppliers, pupils and councils, the new guidance also sets out key considerations to ensure pupil comfort, freedom and happiness.

The guidance, which can be used to form individual school uniform policies, includes advice on encouraging schools to adopt measures that limit costs for families and reduce waste, including limiting the number of items that pupils need and promoting items that can be reused more easily.

The Education Secretary launched the guidance during a visit to Camperdown Primary School in Dundee where she learned about work by pupils to develop a cost of the school day action plan.

Ms Gilruth said: “Every child in Scotland should be able to attend school feeling comfortable, confident, and ready to learn. However, we know the cost can be a significant burden for families and we want to support schools to minimise these costs.

“This new national guidance contains measures for schools to develop and implement their own affordable and sustainable policies that recognise the individual needs of all pupils.

“It makes clear that schools are expected to do all they can to limit school clothing costs for families as part of our wider aim to reduce the cost of the school day. The guidance also encourages schools to develop flexible and inclusive policies which promote generic items of clothing and do not include compulsory branded items, supporting our efforts to be more sustainable.

“Ending child poverty is the central mission of this government and reducing the cost of the school day for families will play a crucial role in this work.”

A spokesperson for Edinburgh School Uniform Bank reacted: “We’re delighted that the government has adopted many of our suggestions around school uniform in their new guidance:

👉 Pupils’ comfort, happiness and freedom to learn and play should be at the centre of considerations about school uniform and clothing, alongside a focus on removing barriers to participation in school education.

👉 Branded items of uniform and blazers should not be compulsory, nor promoted or encouraged by schools.

👉 Schools should avoid including items that need frequent washing or are difficult to wash or dry, and

👉 promote and support arrangements for families to access pre-loved clothing, and

👉 consider the availability of non-standard sizes of uniform, clothing and footwear included within their policies to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their age or build, are able to access comfortable and practical clothing and footwear at a reasonable cost.

School uniform and clothing: Guidance for schools and education authorities

UK Government decision ends universal fuel payments for Scots

Scottish Government left with “no choice” following funding cut

Plans to means-test Winter Fuel Payment in England and Wales will see the Scottish Government’s funding cut by up to £160 million.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has confirmed the Scottish Government therefore has ‘no alternative’ but to replicate the decision in Scotland and restrict payments to pensioners who receive eligible benefits.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Despite all efforts to review our financial position we have been left with no choice but to follow the UK Government and restrict payments to older people who receive relevant eligible benefits.

“This is a necessary decision when faced with such a deep cut to our funding and in the most challenging financial circumstances since devolution. The reduction we are facing amounts to as much as 90% of the cost of Scotland’s replacement benefit, the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.

“Given the UK Government’s decision to restrict payments to those in receipt of means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit, and the implications for the Scottish Government detailed above, I have urged the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to undertake a benefits take-up campaign for Pension Credit and to move forward with plans for a social energy tariff.

“Both of these measures will provide some further protection to energy customers in greatest need.”

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes commented:

Scottish Parliament: Written answer

Age Scotland: Winter Fuel Payment decision ‘brutal’ for Scottish pensioners

Age Scotland is continuing to urge the UK government to reconsider plans to scrap the winter fuel payment for pensioners who do not receive pension credit.

The charity has responded to news that, following the UK Government’s plans to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment, the Scottish Government will have no alternative but to replicate the decision in Scotland.

Age Scotland’s Policy Director, Adam Stachura, said: “It’s infuriating that huge numbers of older people will miss out on the vital Winter Fuel Payment when it is devolved to Scotland.

“We recognise the financial challenge the Scottish Government would face to make up the shortfall to keep the payment universal, but we desperately hoped there could be a more effective delivery of this payment and that it could have looked more generous than the UK Government’s new, and meagre, approach.

“At minimum, a quarter of a million pensioners in Scotland on the lowest incomes or living in fuel poverty will no longer receive this vital financial support over the winter months, while hundreds of thousands more on modest incomes are going to struggle with their energy bills even more than normal as a result.

“This brutal decision by the UK Government was made too fast, cuts too deep and its impact will be severe. It’s important that they rethink this move, as it has a huge impact on the devolution of social security and the needs of Scottish pensioners who live in some of the coldest homes in the UK.”

Visit www.age.scot/SaveWFP to sign Age Scotland’s petition to save the Winter Fuel Payment. 

320,000 people pushed into poverty because of mortgage interest rate rises

“Poverty statistics that hide the real scale of increases risk policymakers missing what is truly happening to poverty.”

Many households remortgaging or taking out new mortgages since 2022 have experienced sharp falls in their disposable income as higher interest rates have pushed up housing costs, and by December 2023 this is set to have pushed 320,000 such people into poverty. But official data do not measure mortgage interest payments properly, so official poverty statistics will only capture about two-thirds of this effect (230,000 people). 

These are the findings of a new IFS report, released on Thursday and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which examines recent trends in poverty and deprivation. Other key findings include:

  • Despite the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, the overall rate of absolute poverty was the same in 2022–23 as in 2019–20 (18%, or 12.0 million people), though it did rise slightly by 0.8 percentage points (520,000) between 2021–22 and 2022–23. But there was a significant increase in more direct measures of hardship. For example, the proportion of working-age adults who reported being unable to keep their home warm enough rose from 4% to 11% (1.8 million to 4.6 million) between 2019–20 and 2022–23, and the share who reported being behind on bills rose from 5% to 6% (2.1 million to 2.5 million). 
  • Part of the difference is likely to relate to how the official statistics measure incomes and hence poverty. Higher energy and food prices mean that lower-income households and pensioners faced a higher inflation rate than average – but this is not captured by the official poverty statistics. Taking account of higher inflation for these households implies poverty rose by 210,000 more people than implied by official statistics for 2021–22 and 2022–23 (730,000 people rather than 520,000), including 80,000 pensioners.
  • In addition, the official statistics do not measure households’ mortgage interest payments directly, instead modelling them based on average interest rates. This matters when there is a growing spread of interest rates as some households come off their fixed rate: in 2022–23, mismeasurement of mortgage interest payments resulted in the number in poverty being understated by 70,000; as more fixed-term mortgages end, that number is set to rise to 150,000 (based on December 2023 interest rates).
  • There is evidence that mortgage rate rises have pushed some adults into financial hardship. Adults remortgaging in 2022 were 2 percentage points more likely to fall into arrears on bills than those with mortgages who had not remortgaged. This suggests that, once all households have remortgaged, the number of adults behind on bills could rise by 370,000. 

Sam Ray-Chaudhuri, a Research Economist at IFS and an author of the report, said: ‘Rising mortgage rates have played and are likely to continue to play an important role in many households’ living standards. But, perhaps surprisingly, they are not measured properly in the official income data.

“This has led to the headline statistics understating the number of people in poverty, something set to get worse in next year’s data. Poverty rises have also been understated due to the unequal impact of inflation.

“At a time when rates of deprivation and food insecurity have risen substantially, poverty statistics that hide the real scale of these increases risk policymakers missing what is truly happening to poverty.’ 

Peter Matejic, JRF Chief Analyst, said: ‘This research shows the cost-of-living crisis wasn’t felt equally by everyone. Compared with before the COVID pandemic, many more people, especially those on a lower income, struggled to heat their homes or keep up with their bills.

‘One reason lower-income households went without essentials is because they faced a rate of inflation even higher than the headline numbers. High interest rates also saw many households forced into financial hardship after they remortgaged.

‘This report raises many questions about whether social security is adequate for the challenges looming over struggling households. The new government can’t wait for growth, after years of cuts, caps and freezes to social security have left families without the financial resilience and security they needed to cope with higher prices and costs.’

Commenting on the IFS report IFS on poverty, which shows that 320,000 people pushed into poverty because of mortgage interest rate rises, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “This surge in poverty shows the awful impact on people’s lives of the Conservatives’ economic and policy failures.  

“It’s a poverty crisis that has been created by poor growth and social security cuts. Interest rate hikes came on top of the longest period of pay stagnation for more than 200 years.  

“Rapid delivery of the government’s plan to make work pay will ensure more better-paid, secure jobs and help reduce poverty among working families.” 

Living-standards-poverty-and-inequality-in-the-UK-2024-IFS-Report-R329Download