The Scottish Government has announced that the First Minister, Humza Yousaf, is aiming to prioritise tackling poverty at a new summit.
Edinburgh will host the summit on Wednesday 3rd May, and this compliments the commitment that the First Minister made to tackling poverty and inequality in his Equality, Opportunity, Community: New Leadership – A Fresh Start document.
Bringing people from a wide range of backgrounds, cross-party representatives of the Scottish Parliament will be joined at the summit by:
- People who have lived through poverty
- The third sector
- Academics
- Campaigners
- Local government
- Business
Through the variation in backgrounds, those who attend will be encouraged to share their expertise, experiences and ideas in how progress to reduce inequality and poverty can be driven.
The First Minister said:
“Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of the Scottish Government’s three key priorities.
“Working within our limited powers and fixed budget, the Scottish Government has already taken a range of actions that are making a real difference, with almost £3 billion allocated last year and this year to support policies which are helping to tackle poverty and protect people as far as possible during the cost of living crisis.
“Our five family payments, including the Scottish Child Payment, could be worth more than £10,000 an eligible child turns six. This compares to less than £2,000 for eligible families in England and Wales, with Scottish support providing over £20,000 by the time an eligible child is 16 years old. There is also much more to be done to reverse the impact of the UK Government’s policies of austerity and lack of concrete action on the cost of living crisis, which gave contributed to rising poverty across the UK.
“While the Government’s actions and ideas to tackle poverty are extremely important, I also want to hear fresh ideas about what else we could be doing together. Nothing should be off the table, and I am ready to lead an honest and frank discussion on Wednesday.
“I firmly believe that all of us across society want Scotland to be the best place to grow up and the best place to live. I am determined to harness that shared ambition so we leave no stone unturned in the drive to create a more equal and more socially just Scotland.”
