Edinburgh Poverty Commission

Reducing poverty and inequality

The Edinburgh Poverty Commission launched its final report A Just Capital: Actions to End Poverty in Edinburgh in September 2020.

The Commission concluded that poverty in Edinburgh is real and damaging, but it is not inevitable.  They made a call to action for the city to end poverty in Edinburgh by 2030 so that

  1. No-one in Edinburgh needs to go without basic essentials they need to eat, keep clean, stay warm and dry.
  2. Fewer than one in 10 people are living in relative poverty in Edinburgh at any given time.
  3. No-one in Edinburgh lives in persistent poverty.
  4. No-one in Edinburgh experiences stigma due to their income.

A council-wide commitment

The commitment to end poverty in Edinburgh is one of three strategic priorities embedded in the Council’s Business Plan. 

The plan has 7 outcomes and actions to help deliver this priority: 

  1. On track to end poverty in Edinburgh by 2030 by meeting the targets set by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission
  2. On track to deliver new prevention service models
  3. More residents experience fair work and receive the living wage
  4. Intervene before the point of crisis to prevent homelessness
  5. Ongoing delivery of our 20,000 affordable homes programme
  6. Increasing attainment for all and reducing the poverty-related attainment gap
  7. Edinburgh’s economy recovers from recession and supports businesses to thrive

End Poverty Edinburgh

End Poverty Edinburgh is an independent group of citizens formed in 2020 to raise awareness of poverty in Edinburgh, influence decision-making and hold the city to account. It was formed during the latter stages of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission as a legacy group to hold the baton in a movement to end poverty in Edinburgh.

It has three core aims

  1. Engaging with the Council, the Edinburgh Partnership and others, from the outset to share their wealth of experience.
  2. Holding those who have the power to account by influencing decision-making and providing advice and guidance.
  3. Working with other groups and organisations working to tackle poverty in the city to lend our support and share their experiences.

Find out about the End Poverty Edinburgh group and how to get involved on the Edinburgh Poverty Commission website.

Tackling child poverty in Edinburgh

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 requires local government and health boards to publish an annual report describing existing and new planned actions and measures taken, to reduce and mitigate the effects of child poverty. 

The first annual review of progress towards meeting Edinburgh Poverty Commission calls to action covers the period from October 2020 to the end of September 2021. In line with recommendations made by the Commission, this report combines annual reporting on end poverty delivery plans, with the statutory duty all Councils and NHS boards have to produce an annual Local Child Poverty Action Report.

Download the latest End Poverty in Edinburgh Annual Report (PDF)