This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Ministers pledge to tackle causes of poverty
27/05/1999
Tackling the causes of poverty will be at the heart of Government action to build strong and secure communities across Scotland.
This was the message today from Wendy Alexander, Scottish Executive Minister for Communities, when she visited the site of a new children's centre in Cranhill, Glasgow.
Speaking alongside her Ministers Jackie Baillie and Frank McAveety, Ms Alexander said:
"The challenge for Scotland, the new Parliament and for this Ministerial team is to tackle the causes of poverty. We must break the cycle of disadvantage for children born into poverty.
"We chose Cranhill for our first visit because it is an excellent example of work to tackle inequality at its roots. Giving all our children the best start in life is not just about a nursery place for all three and four year olds and after school care. In communities like this we can go further. The local community chose supporting children as the priority for extra resources - and almost £2m has been spent.
"Helping people transform their lives and those of their families is the key to tackling poverty. Local people are best placed to know what their communities need, and we will listen to their views. The new Scottish Parliament can listen better. We will work for and with deprived communities in partnership with councils and all parts of the Scottish social fabric.
"We are today pledging to visit communities in the areas of Scotland most affected by poverty. We will use this fact-finding mission to feed into the Scottish Social Inclusion Strategy we are bringing to the new Parliament.
"Tackling poverty is our greatest challenge. As a team, Jackie Baillie, Frank McAveety and myself are committed to policies that will seriously help those who have been excluded from society for so long.
"Our Ministerial brief touches the lives of everyone in Scotland. We are committed to the regeneration of communities, giving tenants greater control, tackling rooflessness, improving children's attainment, promoting children's early development, improving health in deprived neighbourhoods, promoting opportunities for active citizenship and tackling problems of remote communities.
"We have a wide ranging set of initiatives to take forward to help tackle the toughest challenges, amounting to more than £250 million this year in Scotland."
BACKGROUND
1. The Cranhill Children's Centre is a unique and visionary concept of services for children. It goes further than nurseries. The aim is to provide cultural, recreational, environmental and play facilities for the children of Greater Easterhouse. This will help some of Glasgow's most disadvantaged children develop physical, intellectual, emotional and social skills. It will give them a chance to benefit from high quality resources, enrich their lives and increase their potential as individuals.
2. The Centre is due to be completed in the summer. It will provide indoor and outdoor facilities and provide soft play, a games area, arts and crafts, a children's library, computer room and a secret garden. Children helped to design the services that will be provided and children will have a strong input into the development of the Centre's programme.
3. The capital cost of the project is £1.8m, including £400,000 from the Greater Easterhouse Social Inclusion Partnership. The Millennium Commission and Glasgow City Council are the other co-funders.
4. Under the Partnership for Scotland, the new Scottish Executive is committed to developing a social inclusion strategy for the Scottish Parliament. The Ministers will visit ten areas with the greatest concentrations of poverty in Scotland: Glasgow, Dundee, West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Stirling, Edinburgh, South Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire.
News Release: 1094/99
27 May 1999