Fighting Poverty In Fife

A Fairer Fife Commission has been set up to examine the root causes of poverty and make recommendations on how best to tackle the issue.

Fife Council Leader David Ross has announced membership of the Commission which will be non-political and independent, with input from the public, private and voluntary sectors. It will hold its first meeting in January and report back on findings in November 2015.

Senior figures from across Scotland have come together to form the Commission which will be chaired by Chief Executive of the Carnegie UK Trust Martyn Evans.

The other members are:

- Director of BT Scotland, Brendan Dick

- Director of the Glasgow Centre for Population and Health, Professor Carol Tannahill

- Director of One Parent Families Scotland, Satwat Rehman

- Director in Scotland of the Child Poverty Action Group, John Dickie

- Professor of Strategic Urban Management and Finance, Professor Duncan Maclennan

- Chair of the Scottish Health Council Committee, Pam Whittle CBE

- Global Research Policy Advisor, Oxfam Scotland, Dr Katherine Trebeck

- Director of Delivery, NHS Scotland, George Dodds

Dr Jim McCormick of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation will act as a special advisor to the Commission and Fife Council’s Chief Executive Steve Grimmond will attend Commission meetings.

The Commission's aim is to take a strategic overview of the scale, scope and nature of poverty in Fife and how effectively it’s being tackled. It will focus attention on issues including financial capability, welfare advice, transport links, employability skills, childcare provision, early years, educational attainment, health inequalities, housing and homelessness and addressing stigma.

Cllr Ross commented: "I'm hugely encouraged by the calibre and expertise of the people who have agreed to become involved in the Commission and I'd like to thank each one of them for their commitment to helping in the fight against poverty."

Chair of the new Commission Martyn Evans said: "I am delighted to have been asked to chair the Commission as it undertakes its important and challenging task."

"Poverty and a lack of opportunity continues to blight too many of our communities. The Commission brings together a very wide range of expertise and this is critical as it is only by working together that we can tackle these complex, deep-rooted issues. I am looking forward to getting started.

"Every Fifer deserves a decent home, job and education and to achieve this aim we have to tackle, not just the symptoms, but the root causes of poverty in our society,” added Cllr Ross.

"That is why, as a council, we have been creating jobs and apprenticeships, investing in education, investing in early years, building new good quality affordable housing and supporting the development of a strong local economy.

"But we need to redouble our efforts to tackle the disgrace of poverty in our society. That’s why all council services are re-examining their activities and reporting back on how explicitly they can do more to reduce poverty. And that's why we are looking beyond the council and welcoming the establishment of the Fairer Fife Commission. We need a better understanding of how we can tackle this issue and develop and implement practical action to reduce poverty in our communities."