Views sought to help tackle poverty and inequality in Scotland

The Scottish Government is seeking expertise and experience from organisations and community groups to help tackle poverty and inequality across Scotland.

Views sought to help tackle poverty and inequality in Scotland

Shirley-Anne Somerville, social security secretary

Ideas are being gathered to drive a fairer recovery in the wake of coronavirus.

Organisations and community groups are being asked to share ideas and evidence-based on their experiences of responding to the pandemic, and their engagement with people with lived experience of poverty and inequality.

Responses will help inform the work of the Scottish Government’s Advisory Board on Social Renewal, which is tasked with building on the positive policy and practice shifts seen during COVID-19 to tackle disadvantage and poverty, and advance equality and social justice.

Analysis of responses will feed into the board’s discussions, and a report on the outcomes will be published later this year.

Shirley-Anne Somerville, social security secretary, said: “Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on the health, wealth and emotional wellbeing of our communities is vital to inform our response to and recovery from the pandemic. We also know particular groups have been disproportionately impacted by the crisis.

“That’s why we established the Social Renewal Advisory Board to focus on reducing poverty and disadvantage and advancing equality across a range of issues.”

The Scottish Government now wants to hear from the many organisations and community groups working on social renewal that will have adapted, changed and repurposed in light of COVID-19. There is significant learning on this to be shared and we want to capture that expertise.

Ms Somerville added: “Our call for ideas and evidence will help us drive forward our ambitions on creating a fairer, more equal society and ensure that the voices of those with lived experience are heard.”

The call for ideas and evidence will run until October 16.

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