New bid to tackle poverty

North Lanarkshire Council has agreed to support the establishment of an independently- chaired Fairness Commission in a bid to tackle poverty and deprivation.

The creation of the commission was agreed at a meeting of the council.

It will have free reign to look into issues across North Lanarkshire which impact on fairness and poverty.

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Jim Logue, leader of the council, said: “The most recent findings of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation show that many communities across North Lanarkshire remain trapped in poverty.

“We’ re calling on government at all levels to respond to the challenges. The Scottish Government could contribute by making a strategic response to the report they commissioned from independent expert Naomi Eisenstadt.

“For our part, we are going to establish this Fairness Commission. We know that the work of other commissions has been enormously beneficial in recommending real action for communities and we aim to achieve something which can provoke lasting change for our communities, the council and its partners.”

Fairness Commissions have been used across the UK to examine issues related to poverty and make recommendations to councils and other public sector agencies.