Highland Council has approved the next steps in a series of measures to tackle poverty and inequality in the region following the publication of a recent landmark report.
The Highland Council has approved the next steps in a series of measures to tackle poverty and inequality in the region following the publication of a recent landmark report.
After ten months of extensive engagement, the independent Highland Poverty and Equality Commission published its findings in June.
Today (Thursday 17 September) Highland councillors agreed the initial areas for action in its first formal response to the report.
The initial focus includes efforts to the establish stronger partnership working across public and third sectors, increasing financial support, alleviating fuel poverty and expanding community use of council assets.
Development and delivery of the work will be shaped by those with lived experience of some of the issues the commission has highlighted.
Raymond Bremner, Leader of The Highland Council, said: “Reducing poverty and inequality is a shared priority for all of us, so I welcome the initial proposals, which begin to respond to many of the issues raised by communities and people with lived experience of financial hardship.
“The commission has set out a series of calls to action, many inter-related, and not just aimed at the council but other public, third sector and community partners as well as UK and Scottish Governments.
“Highland Council will now seek to strike a balance between building on areas of existing good practice that can be enhanced, while initiating work on the recommendations from the commission.”
The report before full council noted that significant work is already underway across Highland to address many of the commission's calls to action, including efforts to increase affordable housing, bring empty homes back into use, tackle the poverty-related attainment gap and expand community points of delivery.
A member workshop, held on 25 August, provided an opportunity to reflect on the findings of the commission and identify key initial priority areas.
Initial areas for action will centre on:
• Transforming ways of working – developing a third sector strategy and operating framework to support building trust and changing culture.
• Maximising incomes and addressing fuel poverty – building on good practice, enhancing existing support and exploring a fuel support scheme model in rural areas.
• Developing the Hub Approach - finding ways to reduce the costs of school lets and increase usage of council assets by communities, better integrating services through existing council facilities and allowing community partners to use these locations to deliver services.
• Lived Experience – embedding lived experience into service design, delivery and policy development.
The Council committed a total of £500,000 to support implementation of the commission's recommendations, while a further £205,000 remains from an additional £300,000 allocated last year to support the commission’s work.
Updates on progress will be reported at appropriate strategic committee level and, in line with the commission’s recommendations, a detailed progress report will follow in June 2027.