Bill Scott, Chair of the Poverty and Inequality Commission, has today written to the UK and Scottish Governments to call for further action to reduce the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on people on low incomes.

Commenting on the letters, Bill said:

“The coronavirus outbreak risks driving more people into poverty as those who are sick or self-isolating lose pay. While I welcome the action that has been taken by the UK and Scottish Governments so far, more action is needed to protect the self-employed and low earners, who are least likely to have savings to support them through loss of earnings or a waiting period for Universal Credit.

“That’s why I wrote to Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey calling on her to extend Statutory Sick Pay to the two million workers who earn less than £118 per week and to the self-employed.

“Now that we have moved into the delay phase of the outbreak, I am also asking her to immediately lift work search requirements which may require people to use libraries and other communal settings in order to access a computer. This would reduce the risk of people spreading coronavirus by complying with work search requirements.

“I have also written to the First Minister to ask what contingency plans are in place to ensure that children who would normally receive a free school meal will continue to have access to free meals if a decision is taken to close schools.”

Copies of both letters are attached.

Letter to First Minister – Impact of coronavirus

Letter to Sec State Work and Pensions – Impact of coronavirus

The Poverty and inequality Commission is delighted to announce Professor Morag Treanor as the Deputy Chair of the Commission read biography here.

As part of the EIS’s activity surrounding Challenge Poverty Week 2019 they interviewed Bill Scott, Chair of the Commission find the link here to the short film: https://www.eis.org.uk/Child-Poverty/BillScott

More than 300 organisations have taken part, organising over 400 events across Scotland! Supporters included 15 faith leaders, 20 local authorities, schools, football clubs, businesses, politicians, trade unions, third sector, public sector, think tanks and community activists. An amazing variety of supporters that have added their voices to the Poverty Alliance campaign asking for more radical action to loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives. For a glimpse of the activities, you can scroll down the Poverty Alliances twitter feed https://twitter.com/CPW_Scotland

And if you haven’t seen their campaign animation yet, you can find it here: https://vimeo.com/359290385/f1e7942f39

The new Poverty and Inequality Commission has been established as an advisory non-departmental public body from 1 July 2019. We are pleased to announce that the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, Aileen Campbell, has appointed seven members to the Commission for a three year period. An eighth member will be appointed later this year. They are:

Read moreMembers appointed to the Poverty and Inequality Commission