Poverty expert promises to challenge Scottish Government's record on fighting inequality
A Save The Children trustee will advise the Scottish Government on poverty and inequality.
Naomi Eisenstadt will become First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s independent adviser, recommending actions needed to tackle the scourge of deprivation and holding the government's performance to account.
Eisenstadt, a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford, is an expert on the impact of poverty on children.
After spending several years working in nurseries and then in management positions in children’s charities, in 1999 Naomi became the first director of the UK government’s Sure Start Unit, where she had responsibility for early education, childcare, parenting policy, and extended schools.
Her new job will be to lead the debate on deprivation the issue raise awareness of the realities of living in poverty and report to Scottish ministers on how to alleviate the problem across the country.
The announcement was made during a visit to homelessness charity Cyrenians’ good food depot in Leith, prior to a meeting of the Scottish Government’s cabinet at The Bethany Christian Trust in Edinburgh.
I am here to give my honest views about the whether the policies in place will help to reduce poverty and inequality in Scotland
Eisenstadt said: “This is a critical role and a tremendous opportunity to help make good things happen.
“While I am tremendously supportive of what the Scottish Government is trying to do, my role will be to scrutinise the detail and provide hard challenge when necessary.
“I am here to give my honest views about the whether the policies in place will help to reduce poverty and inequality in Scotland.
“I plan to hold ministers to account and challenge everyone to come up with and new and innovative ways to tackle deep seated poverty.”
Her appointment was welcomed by Cyrenians’ chief executive Ewan Aitken. He said: “We are pleased that the Scottish Government has prioritised the issues of poverty and inequality through the appointment of Naomi Eisenstadt as independent adviser on poverty and inequality.
“Every day Cyrenians see the human devastation caused by poverty and inequality through the work of our good food depot and the many other projects we run, through which every year we journey with over 4,500 vulnerable and homeless people.”
Social justice cabinet secretary Alex Neil said: “We are committed to creating a Scotland that is fair, equal and free from poverty. I have no doubt that Naomi will provide a valuable insight into how we can tackle the scourge of intergenerational poverty."
