The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Perthshire poverty gap wider than in London
Rural poverty in east Perthshire has been highlighted in a new report which shows concern over issues including unemployment, fuel poverty and internet access.
A rise in foodbank usage and low-income seasonal work, combined with a lack of services due to centralisation, have all impacted upon lives in the Blairgowrie and Glens region.
The study by Newcastle University, Impact Hub Inverness and Scotland’s Rural College found the welfare system is not well adapted to rural life and that much rural work “is not good work”.
Workers on the front line of the welfare system in Blairgowrie claimed they had witnessed a bigger disparity between the rich and poor in the Perthshire town than they had found in London.
To protect identities, the report termed those working in services “gatekeepers” while also utilising focus groups from the area.
One gatekeeper said: “My worst benefit cases, and the level of poverty in Blairgowrie particularly, was really dramatic in comparison to all the other areas I’ve previously worked in, including London.
“This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic difference between really, really very rich people and people just below zero.”
The study claims that in Blairgowrie and the Glens tourism is “less dominant” than in other areas of Perthshire and fewer people are now employed in the previously buoyant soft fruit, textiles and manufacturing industries.
Due to these factors a growing number of people commute to work out of the area.
Lack of broadband and internet access was also seen as a continuing problem.
A gatekeeper said: “Digital exclusion is an issue far and wide again.
“Only 50% of our clients have an email address.
“That’s before you take into account issues with broadband and connectivity but actually just having access to those devices is a large problem.”
In Perth and Kinross, 24% of addresses do not have superfast broadband available, compared to the average of 13% in Scotland.
Lead researcher Professor Mark Shucksmith, from Newcastle University, said:
“There is poverty in rural as well as urban Britain that national policymakers are not addressing adequately.”
Some focus groups believe the pandemic helped “hidden rural poverty” to be recognised at a local authority level.
Welfare claims had been spread evenly across Perth and Kinross before the pandemic but by May 2020 more than half (56%) came from rural wards.
The study states: “The lockdown delivered a huge shock to rural economies and societies, most obviously through the temporary closure of many businesses – some permanently – and the loss of earnings to employees, self-employed and freelance workers.
“In our study areas, the large tourism and hospitality sectors were
– and continue to be – particularly hard-hit, the more so since so many staff had insecure, casual or seasonal work with zerohours contracts common in tourism, hospitality and retail.”
Stemming from the increase in people finding themselves unemployed or struggling financially, communities began to set up their own initiatives to help.
Steve Johnson and Lesley Mcdonald set up the Blairgowrie, Rattray Independent Food Project.
The duo constructed community larders and also a subsidised shop.
Steve said: “We’ve filled out requests from people that worked at hotels that had been furloughed.
“We also knew that Rattray was known as an area of deprivation.”