The Council’s Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee has agreed on a range of
measures to tackle gender inequality.
Members considered research by Poverty Alliance and Scottish Women’s Budget
Group, which highlighted key findings such as women being more likely to be
poor due to lower levels of savings and wealth and are less able to find work
or increase their hours often due to caring responsibilities.
Ways to combat this include working to ensure automatic enrolment in
initiatives such as free school meals to ensure entitled uptake, and how the
council’s Financial Inclusion team has been successful in securing additional
funding to increase the size of the team and the services that can be provided.
The committee also agreed to explore ways of establishing a Citizens’
Assembly – comprising randomly-selected community representatives – with the
first remit being to advise the council on what’s needed to tackle gender
inequality in Aberdeen.
Committee convener Councillor Christian Allard said: “The council is
committed to developing innovative approaches to tackling poverty, especially
where it results from gender inequalities.
“It remains particularly important that we work closely with our partners
such as the NHS to achieve our common goals.”
Committee vice-convener Councillor Desmond Bouse said: “It is vital as a
council we continue to support women in the complex challenges they are facing
as we navigate our way through the current cost-of-living crisis.”
The council is working with the NHS and wider partners to look at the links
between fuel poverty, cold homes and ill-health and exploring the feasibility
of training for front line staff to increase their awareness of fuel poverty.
It was also agreed by the committee that further work to promote awareness
of the Scottish Welfare Fund and financial advice services will be undertaken.