'Ambitious' Plans To Tackle Poverty In Fife

An 'ambitious' report into tackling poverty in Fife has been described as 'a document of huge significance'.

The Fairer Fife commission was set up by Fife Council in September last year to examine the root causes of poverty in local communities and make recommendations on how best to tackle the issue. It consisted of 11 business, charity and council leaders.

They haves released their findings - among them is a recommendation that more affordable housing is built, and proposals for free travel cards and a new apprenticeship for every £1m of public expenditure.

Around 75,000 Fifers are thought to be living below the breadline.

Fife Council Leader, Cllr David Ross, said: " We estimate that around 75,000 people are directly affected by poverty in Fife - a situation that is completely unacceptable in the 21st century. But the impact, the cost and the loss of potential through poverty are things that concern us all.

"We set up this independent Commission to bring together expertise and knowledge from across Scotland, to help us tackle this blight on our society, and consider how the council and its partners can make a real difference to people’s lives.

"This report is the result of a lot of hard work and thought and my thanks and appreciation go out to all the Commissioners who gave up their valuable time to focus on this project over the last year. Our pledge now is that the recommendations made here will shape the future direction of public services in Fife and will have a positive impact on people who need it most."

Chair of the Fairer Fife Commission, Martyn Evans, said: "I am grateful to my fellow Commissioners for the commitment, energy and expertise that they brought to this process. 

"I am also grateful to the many citizens and organisations across Fife who took time to submit evidence and share their views and experiences about what can be done to tackle inequality in Fife and make it a fairer place to live and work. Their input has been critical in shaping our final report.

"We have set out an ambitious set of recommendations for Fife Council and its partners in the public, private and voluntary sector."

Among their recommendations are:

• Establishing a Knowledge Hub to become a centre of excellence in translating data on fairness in Fife into practical action
• Strengthening partnerships with the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) to improve the local welfare system and create trust between those looking for work and job centres
• Making more use of participatory budgeting in communities to guide spending
• Increasing the number of people who are members of Credit Unions to 30,000 by 2030
• More emphasis on reducing the educational attainment gap by working with all Fife schools individually
• Establishing a pilot project to help those suffering from stress and anxiety as a result of their circumstances, particularly people who are living alone