DunDee city council leaDer John alexanDer

“Sadly, child poverty isn’t news to many people in Dundee and we know of the real hardship that all too many people face on a daily basis.

“It’s this reality check that is the driving force behind initiatives such as the Fairness Commission, set up to look forensically at poverty.

“It’s also the basis on which we are taking forward investment such as the Waterfront and Tay Cities Deal, to create opportunities. We need to take a multi-pronged approach to tackling poverty in the city – we need to create more jobs and opportunities, we need to help people by tackling related issues such fuel poverty by investing in housing, we need to support people finding themselves in financial hardship (whether in work or not), we need to look at and reduce issues such as the costs of the school day for parents, we need to link services such as health and mental health services which can cause barriers to employment.

“We have a poverty action plan compiled by the independent fairness commission, which we are delivering. We are spending millions of pounds on external wall insulation to tackle fuel poverty, building 1,000 affordable rented properties over the next few years to provide 21st Century social housing, building new schools to enhance the learning experience, and funding work to assist in closing the attainment gap. We are supporting breakfast clubs and initiatives aimed at looked-after children.

“We can’t and won’t shy away from the scourge of poverty: we’ll use it as our motivation to create a better Dundee.”