Highland poverty report urges 22 actions across government

A 40 page report has made 22 significant calls for action across local and national government and organisational levels to address poverty in the Highlands. After nine months of work, the Highland Poverty and Equality Commission delivered its final report to Highland Council before consideration at the full meeting this week. The council set-up the commission in the 2025 budget, led by Jim McCormick and Maggie Cunningham, to look into the causes and find possible solutions to poverty. Councillors will only be asked to “note”

the work of the commission and its report while being asked to agree to a workshop to discuss the “calls” made. That private meeting, as workshops mostly are, will inform a “further report setting out the implications and initial solutions for implementing the calls of action”. At the outset of the report titled Essential Elements it states “poverty and related forms of inequality across Highland today are real, damaging and costly, but can be resolved.” Its conclusion it stated that “it is plain to see

that only action on multiple fronts will turn the tide” and while “reporting back to Highland Council” the “calls to action” are made more widely to decision-makers in all sectors across the region. • Read the full report below: ‘Highland Poverty and Equality Commission: Essential Elements Calls To Action’ The aim of the commission was to tackle poverty in the region and to do that it was to identify various approaches, including how to tackle rural poverty. They were also charged with shaping ideas around

integrated service delivery; and “integrated approaches to supporting people and tackling poverty”. Those “integrated approaches” largely means using more than one body to deal with poverty as opposed to leaving it all up to the council. And to improve early intervention to stem and prevent poverty, and address the causes, consequences and responses to poverty across the Highlands. The report stated: “We have shaped our Calls to Action around three broad areas of People, Place and Prospects and two themes within each. “Drawing on the

insights we have gathered, we identify key areas where progress needs to be made in order to tackle poverty and inequality across Highland.” In all 22 “calls” were made on themes addressing transforming culture and ways of working and financial security under the people theme. Addressing issues of place access and housing led the way while for prospects fair work and early years and education were the main focus. In its conclusions the commission said: “While we have not conducted modelling analysis to identify the

net costs and benefits of the various actions we believe are required, we are confident that the combined impact of taking these actions will be significant and sustained. We see these as an integrated set of actions which should not be cherry-picked. “Since our work began, we have seen trends pulling in different directions. For example, the removal of the two-child limit in UK social security is likely to mean up to 1,000 children and 1,500 families across Highland being lifted out of poverty. “At

the same time, around 800 children and young people are still living in poverty solely due to the housing costs their parents have to bear. “Meanwhile, fuel poverty has risen in an alarming way and in-work poverty explains 70 per cent of child poverty experiences. “It is plain to see that only action on multiple fronts will turn the tide. We are reporting back to Highland Council as our sponsoring agency, but our Calls to Action are made more widely to decision-makers in all sectors

across the region, and in some examples to the Scottish and UK Governments.” Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.

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