The poorest Scots who are most dependent on the voluntary sector are being disproportionately hit by council cuts, a new report has revealed
The poorest Scots are being disproportionately hit by council cuts, a new report has revealed.
People relying on lifeline services – including those provided by charities – are suffering most from the dire state of local government finance.
Researchers from Glasgow and Heriot-Watt universities and the Scottish Parliament Information Centre studied the social impact of council savings.
They found that the greatest impact was on poor communities – even though councils are trying to cut back most on services which benefit the most affluent.
Researchers found that across Scotland, council spending on services defined as “pro-poor” is falling by 2% year-on-year, whereas “pro-rich” services like museums and galleries are seeing 12% cuts.
However, because more cash in total is spent on pro-poor services and because the poorest have few other means, the impact is felt disproportionately.
The simple truth and hard fact is that we cannot completely shelter our communities from significant cuts to local government
The report authors said that the spread of cuts suggest that local authorities are doing their best to lessen the impact on the poorest – but any cuts impact that section of the community the most.
“This spread of expenditure means that, when dealing with budget reductions, councils have little option but to make most of their savings from services which are used more by lower income groups,” it states.
“This pattern of spending is similar across all groups of councils, whether they are grouped by deprivation, population density and population size.”
The report identifies the services which tend to be cut most, and which are predominantly accessed by poorer Scots, as older persons’ social work, services for children and families, council-run public transport and citizens’ advice services.
Although the report doesn't look at council cuts to voluntary sector services specifically, it is known that these are considerable in some areas. Voluntary groups in the Highlands, for example, were recently warned by Highland Council that they are to be subjected to “severe” funding cuts.
John Downie, director of public affairs at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, said: “It’s clearly a real concern that council cuts are being felt mostly by the poor. This will undoubtedly increase demand on the third sector, at a time when another round of cuts are hitting voluntary groups throughout the country.
"This will compound the impact on the poorest in society as they will feel this double hit of cuts the most through the loss of services as well as support and help from the sector. The irony is that these short-sighted cuts will also increase demand on other public services.”
Citizens Advice Scotland’s policy manager Keith Dryburgh said: “This is an extremely important report. It shows that local authority budgets are coming under increasing pressure, and as a result many of the poorest families in Scotland are losing the vital local services they rely on.
“Local services such as social care and public transport are an essential lifeline for many thousands of low-income people across Scotland. We have published our own evidence showing the way these cuts impact our clients, for example higher charges for funerals and local bus routes being discontinued.
“While we understand the difficulties councils face in making savings, this report makes clear that essential services to low income and vulnerable groups need to be prioritised.
“This includes Citizens Advice Bureaux, which the report identifies as an essential service for the poorest Scots."
A spokesman for the Convetion of Scottish Local Authorities added: “The simple truth and hard fact is that we cannot completely shelter our communities from significant cuts to local government.”
Andy Wightman MSP, local government spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said: “Local authorities provide a lifeline for many communities struggling to make ends meet. Good quality education, social care, public transport, libraries and citizen’s advice are essential if we want a fair society.
“Ultimately this report shows the negative impact on local services from the Scottish Government’s cuts to council funding and underlines the need for a fiscal framework between the Scottish Government and local authorities and the need to scrap the council tax and provide greater fiscal autonomy to local government."
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “Despite the cuts to the Scottish budget from the UK government, the Scottish Government has treated local government very fairly.
“Taking into account the addition of the £250 million to support the integration of health and social care, the overall reduction in funding equates to less than 1% of local government’s total estimated expenditure in 2016-17."
