Efforts to combat the cost-of-living crisis were stepped up on Friday when the Perth and Kinross Anti-Poverty Taskforce met for the first time.
The meeting was followed by Perth City Leadership Forum’s Big Lunch, which saw businesses and other organisations come together to discuss the issues facing residents and how they can be addressed.
Councillors agreed to create the Anti-Poverty Taskforce in response to the deepening economic crisis.
Its first meeting, at Dewars Centre in Perth, saw representatives from the local authority, agencies, charities and the third sector meet to discuss what can be done to reduce the immediate impact of the ongoing crisis and the longer-term causes of poverty.
Opening the inaugural meeting, Perth and Kinross Council chief executive Thomas Glen said: “In 2019, it was estimated there were 5155 children living in poverty. I don’t think anyone round this table thinks that has declined during Covid or the cost-of-living crisis.
“We are clear tackling poverty is something we must place at the heart of what we do.”
Council leader Grant Laing said the Taskforce has support from all political parties and that helping those in poverty requires a co-ordinated approach across all sectors.
He said: “There is a whole council approach to this as we all recognise the issue.
“We will always have an open door to listen – it is such a big issue there’s no point in trying to solve it in little groups.”
Issues raised at Friday’s meeting included the need to encourage more employers to pay the Living Wage, obstacles to work such as limited transport and rural poverty, as well as fuel and food poverty.
Following the meeting The Perth City Leadership Forum hosted its Big Lunch.
Chairman Mike Robinson, who also attended the Anti-Poverty Taskforce, told attendees: “If there is a time to step up and help then this is it.”
The council has already put mitigation measures in place for those affected by the Cost-of-Living crisis including establishing a Financial Insecurity Fund, ramping up investment in welfare rights, money and debt advice, increasing funds available for energy efficiency advice and making additional funds available for the provision of community food.
For the financial year 2022/23, through a mix of funding from the Scottish Government and council decisions, there has been an additional investment of £3.3m to mitigate the impact of poverty and the cost of living, with a further £4.5m on wider mitigating activity such as expansion of free school meals, meals during school holidays and home energy efficiency measures within Council-rented properties.
Following the Big Lunch, some hit out on Facebook about the lunch at a time when some are going hungry.
The council responded: “The soup and sandwich lunch was purchased from a local charity and paid for by the council as part of the support we give to the organisation of the Leadership Forum.
“Providing a lunch was also a way of recognising that many of the people around those tables were giving up their time voluntarily to take part in the event, which for some small business owners may have meant turning down potential income to be there.”
Attending the Big Lunch was deputy FM and Perthshire North MSP John Swinney who praised the event: “This has been a very welcome gathering, to draw together the goodwill and support of the public, private and voluntary sectors to focus our energies on supporting people on the cost of living crisis.
“This very positive decision I think can lead to some tangible support for individuals and I look forward to encouraging a drawing together of that support which will be critical for people in the period ahead.”
Perth City Leadership Forum (PCLF) board member Alan Caldwell said: “Today we covered what needs done, now we need to commit to tackling the how.”
