TER FIrst Minister North Edinburgh Childcare

The Scottish Government commissioned childcare specialist Naomi Eisenstadt to prepare an independent report for them on how to tackle poverty in Scotland. Ms Eisenstadt is a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford and a trustee of charity Save the Children. She is also an expert on the impact of poverty on children.

First MInister Nicola Sturgeon visited North Edinburgh Childcare where she announced new funding of £1m for early years.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited North Edinburgh Childcare where she announced new funding of £1m for early years.

The report was published today and it includes 15 separate recommendations as to what the government might do, including providing more free childcare and reforming council tax. The aim was always to hold the government to account and it is clear that it does. When she announced the appointment of the independent adviser the First Minister said that her main priority was to ensure that the government was doing everything it could to make Scotland a more equal society.

Today the First Minister said: “When I appointed Naomi to the role I was clear that she would work independently and be frank and challenging in her scrutiny of not only the work the Scottish Government was doing to alleviate poverty and inequality, but also what more can be done.

“I thank Naomi for the work she has carried out and welcome the report that she has published today. We now need to study it and look at what we’re doing well and should continue to do, and where we can improve. We will respond formally to the report before the end of March and set out how we intend to take forward its recommendations.”

Untitled from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

The First Minister met her policy adviser at North Edinburgh Childcare this morning to formally launch the report which has taken Ms Eisenstadt six months to prepare, when she took the opportunity of announcing a £1million pilot project.

The project will provide funding for up to six early learning and childcare trials to test different delivery models and the results will be used as part of the expansion of childcare to 1140 hours a year.

TER FIrst Minister North Edinburgh Childcare

In welcoming the report Co-Convenor of Scottish Greens said: Patrick Harvie said: “This new report clearly shows that we can do more right away to protect people on low incomes from vicious Tory cuts, and to build a more equal, prosperous future for our country.

“The council tax is a regressive measure that’s no longer fit for purpose. It’s time to  replace it with a more progressive local tax system, that would protect people on low incomes and enable councils to raise revenue for vital services that are currently under threat.

“Housing costs in many parts of Scotland are disgracefully high, and too many people of low incomes are forced to find a home from the expensive private rented sector. Building more social housing is absolutely crucial, but we also need to regulate rent levels in the private sector. The housing bill that’s up for debate in Holyrood is our chance to do that, but we have to make sure that rent control measures are strong enough.

“Every year, thousands of people suffer in the freezing winter weather because fuel prices are so high, and their are simply not in good enough condition to keep warm. Instead of boosting the budget to tackle fuel poverty, the Scottish Government has decided to cut it for the coming year. I urge the SNP to reconsider this decision, and to make insulating and heating Scotland’s homes a priority.”

The recommendations are as follows:

In-work poverty

1. Build on Living Wage Accreditation – a focus on larger employers, and on incentives, would be useful.

2. Encourage pay ratio disclosure as a way of tackling pay inequality.

3. Ensure childcare commitments focus on quality to improve outcomes, and consider providing a limited number of free hours of childcare for primary school aged children.

4. Make family flexible working more explicit within the Business Pledge, and consider whether approaches such as the Timewise programme could promote flexible working.

5. Do more to ensure that people claim the benefits they are entitled to.

6. Make effective use of new social security powers but proceed with caution.

Housing affordability

7. Build more social housing.

8. Ensure fuel poverty programmes are focused to support those on low incomes, and do more to tackle the poverty premium in home energy costs.

9. Be bold on local tax reform.

Life chances of young people, aged 16-24

10. Carry out a comprehensive review of the policies and services relevant older children and young adults, with particular emphasis on those from poorer backgrounds.

11. Reduce the number of government-supported employment programmes targeting this group of young people and simplify the landscape, to provide a clearer, sharper focus.

12. Ensure that the new approach to employer engagement in education is having an impact on improving skills for work of young people.

13. Do more to tackle occupational segregation.

Cross-cutting

14. Ensure that public service delivery is respectful, person-centred and preserves the dignity of people in poverty: pre-employment and in-service training should include the importance of avoiding stigma and understanding the challenges of living on low incomes.

15. Commence the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act 2010, when powers are available.

The full report is available at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/01/1984

Website | + posts

Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.