Current Context
The latest figures for Dundee show that 5,287 (22.5%) children are living in poverty (household income after housing costs – Department for Work and Pensions data). This has fallen from 27% in 2017, with the largest reduction being in 2020/21 which was 4% down
on the previous year. This was mainly attributed to the £20 Universal Credit uplift that was subsequently removed.
The new data shows just how important additional investment in the new Scottish Child Payment will be to supporting families through the cost of living crisis and to driving forward efforts to meet Scotland’s child poverty targets. The payment of £10 per week was introduced from February 2021 for children under six where families are in receipt of universal credit. This was doubled to £20 per week in April 2022 and will increase to £25 per week when rolled out to all eligible under-16s by the end of the year.
Every Council and local health board in Scotland is required to publish an annual Local Child Poverty Action Report setting out action being taken at local level to tackle child poverty. This action also needs to counter the effects of the cost of living crisis. Partners will also work with the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland to target reducing child poverty through innovative welfare benefit reforms and maximisation of take up.
The Scottish Government’s Scottish House Condition Survey estimated that in Dundee City, in the period 2017/19, 31% of all households were fuel poor. This was greater than the Scottish estimate which was 24%. Dundee City had the joint fourth highest percentage of households in fuel poverty when compared to the other local authorities in Scotland.
The Partnership will contribute to ensuring that Dundee is a living wage city. The number of people earning less than the living wage reduced from 20.5% in 2016/17 to 12% by 2021. The city has passed the milestone of 100 organisations accredited as living wage employers.
The rise in drug deaths highlighted in Dundee in recent years has brought to the fore the need for support for people who are experiencing problems with drug or alcohol use. The Drugs Commission established in Dundee to provide recommendations reported back in March 2022 and specific areas identified for further improvement included responding to pressures and capacity issues within treatment services, accelerating progress with whole system change, improving treatment options, eliminating stigma, enhancing the focus on prevention and improving communication with the workforce and other stakeholders.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on our citizens’ mental health and wellbeing due to reduced access to services and support, social isolation and loneliness, financial / job insecurity and effects on life circumstances, the day to day challenges of being in lockdown, and uncertainty and concerns about the ongoing nature of the pandemic. An inequalities analysis evidenced differential effects on particular groups of people, in particular the long-term sick and disabled, specific age groups, carers, those unemployed and/or on welfare benefits, and those that lived alone. This included significant and profound inequalities in mental health and wellbeing.
The pandemic and lockdowns also had a significant impact on people at risk of abuse, violence or exploitation. Our Protecting People in Dundee arrangements continue to bring together a range of partner agencies to protect people of all ages in the city from harm.
There are strong links between poverty, mental health and obesity, so early intervention work with children across the city continues linked to physical activity and healthy cooking initiatives.
Care services were severely strained during the pandemic and came through it thanks to the resilience of staff and support from community-based organisations and volunteers. Workforce planning and building community-based organisations will continue to be vital to address challenges in recruitment and retention following Brexit, at the same time as unprecedented demand for community care is showing in rising levels of unmet need. Better community care will depend as much on the strength of community support networks as it will on the services.
Throughout the next four years the establishment of a new National Care Service will see significant structural change in care and council services in Dundee.