Scottish Government appoints independent poverty adviser

The Scottish Government’s new independent adviser has pledged to hold ministers to account over its efforts to lift people out of poverty.

Appointed yesterday by first minister Nicola Sturgeon, child poverty expert Naomi Eisenstadt will become the first minister’s independent adviser on poverty and inequality, recommending actions needed to tackle poverty and holding the government’s performance to account.

In a wide-ranging remit, Ms Eisenstadt, who is a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford and trustee of Save the Children, will also help to lead the debate on addressing poverty in Scotland, raise awareness of the realities of living in poverty and report to Scottish ministers on how to alleviate the problem across the country.

The announcement was made during a visit to Cyrenians Good Food depot in Leith, prior to a special meeting of the Scottish Government’s cabinet, held at The Bethany Trust in Edinburgh and attended by Ms Eisenstadt.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Scotland is a wealthy country – but around one in six people are currently living in poverty. That is completely unacceptable.

“We are seeing some progress in reducing inequality but not nearly enough. And with £12 billion of annual welfare cuts due to be announced in the UK government’s Emergency Budget, making an impact is likely to be even more challenging.

“My main priority is making sure that everyone has the chance to get on in life, regardless of where they are from. The scrutiny and input of an independent expert will help to make sure – and provide assurance to the public - that we are doing absolutely all we can to make Scotland a more equal society.”

Naomi Eisenstadt said: “This is a critical role and a tremendous opportunity to help make good things happen.

“While I am tremendously supportive of what the Scottish Government is trying to do, my role will be to scrutinise the detail and provide hard challenge when necessary. I am here to give my honest views about the whether the policies in place will help to reduce poverty and inequality in Scotland.

“I plan to hold ministers to account and challenge everyone to come up with and new and innovative ways to tackle deep seated poverty.”

Ewan Aitken, CEO Cyrenians, said “We are pleased that the Scottish has prioritised the issues of poverty and inequality through the appointment of Naomi Eisenstadt, as independent adviser on poverty and inequality. Every day Cyrenians see the human devastation caused by poverty and inequality through the work of our Good food depot and the many other projects we run, through which every year we journey with over 4500 vulnerable and homeless people.”

Social justice secretary Alex Neil added: “We are committed to creating a Scotland that is fair, equal and free from poverty. I have no doubt that Naomi will provide a valuable insight into how we can tackle the scourge of intergenerational poverty.

“Last week I launched the Fairer Scotland discussion, which is asking the nation how we can create a more equal society. Naomi’s appointment is very timely and fits in with our approach of sourcing ideas to tackle these deep-seated problems outwith government.”