Fife Council co-leaders welcome citizen's basic income report

The co-leaders of Fife Council have welcomed a report examining a citizen's basic income pilot in Scotland.

It said the pilot of such a scheme is 'desirable', but also recognised significant challenges involved in its delivery.

During the last two years, Fife Council, alongside its Edinburgh, Glasgow and North Ayrshire counterparts, have been working with NHS Health Scotland and the Improvement Service to explore the feasibility of a citizen's basic income pilot north of the border.

Under such a scheme, an individual would be paid an unconditional set amount of cash regularly, regardless of income or what benefits they are on.

Each of the four councils expect to discuss the report's findings individually in the future.

Councillor David Alexander of the SNP said more than 100,000 people in Fife have vulnerabilities during the coronavirus pandemic, which could lead to extra support being needed:

Councillor David Ross of Labour said a citizen's basic income scheme could help people in a variety of ways: