An action plan to tackle Scotland�s growing equality gap will be proposed by some of the country�s leading politicians, academics and religious leaders today.
An action plan to tackle Scotland's growing equality gap will be proposed by some of the country's leading politicians, academics and religious leaders today.
The Transcending Poverties Conference in Glasgow will chart the progress made in tackling poverty but will also highlight the continuing difficulty in eradicating health, education, and economic problems in some of Scotland's most economically deprived communities.
The organisers have used Glasgow as an example of some of the worst poverty-related social problems in Scotland and also as a case study of the work being done to combat it.
Participants at the event, which has been organised by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of which The Herald is the media sponsor, include Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC, Archbishop Mario Conti, leading historian Tom Devine and the Very Rev John Miller, a former moderator of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly.
Leading business figures including Brian Souter, the Stagecoach millionaire, have also played a role in shaping the event.
Steven Purcell, leader of Glasgow City Council and a speaker at the conference, said yesterday that more work needed to be done to eradicate poverty, despite "real progress" being made.
"There are now more jobs in the city than ever before and new homes, schools, busin-esses and leisure facilities are appearing in every community in Glasgow," Mr Purcell said. "In spite of this, many Glaswegians are still excluded from the positive improvements the city has enjoyed recently, as they are suffering from problems including worklessness and addiction.
"The challenge now facing Glasgow is to remedy this and ensure that every citizen is part of Glasgow's success."
The conference will hear how poverty has migrated from historically deprived areas in the inner city to outlying schemes such as Easterhouse, Castlemilk, Drumchapel and Pollok.
It will also examine the role that Glasgow's industrial heritage has played in shaping the health and economic problems faced in its post-industrial present and the complex interaction of social factors that contribute to deprivation.
Family break-up and the role of men in communities hit by the loss of heavy manufacturing jobs will also be explored at the event.
Peter Kelly, director of the Scottish Poverty Alliance, said he hoped the conference would bring the debate around poverty down from the top echelons of policymakers and religious leaders to those working at the coal face of its effects.
He particularly welcomed the involvement of churches and council officials.
"One of the things that has real potential is to get a shared understanding of the problem of poverty in Scotland and Glasgow," he said.
"The key to that is to have not just the top layers of churches or the council talking about this, but actually have it filtering down to the council staff and parishioners who face these problems day in, day out."
The conference, at the City Chambers, will conclude with an action plan presented by Sir John Arbuthnott, who chairs NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Seats are still available from the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
