Covid-19 Next Steps (Communities)

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 9 June 2020.

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Photo of Ruth Maguire Ruth Maguire Scottish National Party

I was pleased to hear the cabinet secretary reaffirm that, as the focus now begins to move to the recovery and renew phases, the Scottish Government aims to build on policy and practice changes that have shown the potential to be genuinely transformative.

I also welcome the cabinet secretary’s comments about the importance of lived experience. Perhaps he can say in summing up—I apologise if I missed this in his speech—whether there will be any unpaid carers or people who have disabilities on the board of the advisory group, as it would be helpful to know.

I agree that, as we emerge from this period, there is an opportunity to chart a better way forward in support of all Scotland. The Scottish Government and the Parliament must grab that opportunity with both hands. Cross-party working on the emergency legislation—productive and constructive scrutiny coupled with the unprecedented reprioritisation of resources and powers—has shown what can be done where there is a will to do it. As we plan a route through the crisis, we need that same will to tackle poverty, addiction and inequality, which also threaten the lives of the citizens whom we represent. As I and many others have said before, we are all in the same storm, but we are not in the same boat.

The current health crisis has highlighted, and in many cases exacerbated, deep existing inequalities that have stubbornly persisted for decades. The harms caused by the pandemic, and those resulting from the measures that have been put in place to manage it and save lives, are not felt equally, and the Government’s responses should reflect that. In the decisions that are made, the importance of ensuring fairness and quality of life for all our citizens must be not only considered but acted on.

For years, campaigners have been calling for dignified food provision, accessible information, online classes and support with isolation. In a matter of weeks, those things have become mainstream. Six minutes is not enough time for me to mention all the wonderful volunteer organisations in my Cunninghame South constituency, but I am grateful to each and every one of them. I will provide a snapshot of some of the good work that is going on.

Fullarton hub, in my home town of Irvine, has 56 volunteers under the leadership of Donna Fitzpatrick, and they are knocking their pans in seven days a week. They are walking dogs and picking up prescriptions for those who are shielding. They are preparing and delivering, from a relatively small kitchen, 149 fresh meals of good-quality freshly cooked food each day for those who are shielding. They are helping people not just in Fullarton but throughout Irvine. They are also providing a personal shopping service for old folk in the area. That is very important, because dignity is partly about having choice, and a personal shopping service gives older people a choice, as they decide what messages they are getting. For those in the community who need a helping hand, there is a food larder at the hub; it has been there for 10 months or so, but it has now scaled up hugely and around 200 food parcels are going out each week.

The economic and health challenges in my constituency have been there for a very long time, as has the resilience and strength of the community. Nonetheless, I am conscious that many more citizens who were previously managing or just managing will be tipped into debt as our communities start to feel the economic impact of the pandemic. Fullarton and other community hubs in North Ayrshire have stepped up and provided for our community. Indeed, they are the community and they know what is needed: the priorities are providing food and tackling isolation. They are delivering, as they have been since the very start of the crisis.

Interestingly, the hubs are reaching folk who need support but who have not previously been involved with statutory services. Those new connections can literally be life saving. Government funding should be getting as close as possible to local community groups, and those groups should be valued, trusted and properly supported and resourced.

The third sector resilience fund was designed to be flexible and to cut down on red tape, and the Equalities and Human Rights Committee heard in evidence some very positive feedback about that fund and the ease of applying to it. However, I have a local example of where that has not been the case, which I will share with the cabinet secretary.

I was struck by the evidence that the committee heard from Radiant and Brighter that the lack of certainty about sustainable funding meant that the organisation did not apply to the fund. I can understand why there might be a reticence to set expectations for help that would be met only in the short term, but we should reflect on the impact and the potential harm of organisations starting to provide support and interventions for at-risk people and then having to stop.

Where a group has been demonstrably delivering lifeline support and meeting the needs of the community, it should not have to start right back at the beginning by having to prove its worth and knowledge in funding applications, and it should not have to use its valuable resources, whether in time or money, to secure the funding that it needs to continue.

Politicians frequently call on groups such as Fullarton community association to talk around the country about community empowerment. None of us is ever shy about that, and it is right that our small groups and charities deserve praise. However, our communities do not need empowered in the sense of developing skills, a voice or knowledge; they have all that already. They are powerful, but they need a fair distribution of resource. Let us show them with our actions as well as with our words that we mean it. Scotland can be a fairer and more equal place for all.