Continued budget cuts and pressures on local government will hit those in need the hardest, according to Renfrewshire Council Leader Mark Macmillan.
The Council Leader was responding to the publication of the Scottish Government’s Child Poverty Bill which aims to end inequalities and eradicate child poverty.
More than one in every five children in Renfrewshire lives in poverty with a boy born in Bishopton living on average 14.8 years longer than a boy born in Ferguslie Park in Paisley. It has also known that families and children are the biggest groups in poverty accounting for 53% of households below the average income.
In order to confront this challenge Renfrewshire Council developed a Scotland-leading approach to address poverty in the region through a range of projects which are delivering significant results by putting over £2m back into the pockets of those most in need.
More than 50 separate projects sit under the Tackling Poverty Programme addressing a range of issues from health, income and employment to welfare, attainment and managing money.
Some of the most successful and innovative projects include the expansion of the Families First project – an early intervention service which provides support and advice in a family focussed way and has helped put money back into the pockets of residents since April 2016.
Attainment is also a key factor addressed as part of the Tackling Poverty Programme. The Renfrewshire Literacy Approach, delivered in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, has helped increase staff skills in encouraging a love of reading and books in children from an early age –recognising that literacy is the key to narrowing the attainment gap and increasing pupils’ chances of success in education and in later life.
Although the Scottish Government has set out its plans for tackling the issue of child poverty, Council Leader Mark Macmillan argues that the continuing cuts to budgets will curb local authority’s ability to help those most in need.
Cllr Macmillan said: “Local authorities are often at the front line of working with the most vulnerable in our communities and we are uniquely placed to design services that support those most in need based on what they tell us. In Renfrewshire, we have adopted an innovative approach to tackling poverty, recognised as leading the way in Scotland, which has helped put money back into the pockets of families and children most in need.
“While we welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to our shared priority of reducing child poverty, the stark reality facing us is that due to continuing pressure on Council resources, Scottish Government budget cuts and the UK Government’s welfare reforms, this will only likely deepen the inequality between low income families and their better-off counterparts while child poverty continues to grow.
“Further cuts to our budget and short term planning jeopardises vital projects which can deliver real change to the most vulnerable in society. This only serves to strengthen the factors which lead to child poverty and severely curtails our ability to effectively tackle the issues with lower income families bearing the brunt of the impact.
“I would urge the Scottish Government to consider the negative impact its budget cuts will have on those who rely on the Council to provide essential support and services that can have a huge impact on the future of those living in poverty.”
Renfrewshire Council adopted the view that poverty is not inevitable and set up the Tackling Poverty Commission, the first of its kind in Scotland, to assess the nature, causes and impact of child poverty in Renfrewshire and make recommendations for the introduction of a strategic approach. The report and recommendations were published in 2015 and the Tackling Poverty two-ear strategy subsequently followed.
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