Challenge Poverty Week: Building a Fairer Falkirk Together

This week marks Challenge Poverty Week, a national campaign that shines a light on the injustice of poverty and the power of collective action to tackle it.

In Falkirk, tackling poverty is central to our local priorities. It’s embedded in the Falkirk Plan and driven by our ‘Building a Fairer Falkirk 2024–2029’ strategy. The strategy focuses on creating the conditions that help people boost their income and reduce essential living costs, preventing and mitigating the impact of poverty.

Our Community Planning Partnership Board recently approved an update report on the strategy, highlighting the progress made over the past year and the difference it’s making. Key achievements include:

• £16.6 million in benefits secured for local residents through advice and advocacy services - a 30% increase on the previous year
• Leading the way in Scotland for take-up of the Scottish Child Payment, alongside increased uptake of Council Tax support - thanks to better use of data and insight
• Expanded employability support, with 10% more people supported and a 25% rise in Modern Apprenticeship starts
• Free bus travel benefiting over 21,000 young people and 41,000 older people and disabled residents through National Entitlement Cards
• Innovative training for frontline workers, helping them better understand how to support people experiencing poverty.

While there’s much to be proud of, the report also recognises that there’s more to do. It sets out how we’ll build on the strong foundations laid through this groundbreaking partnership work and continue to make Falkirk a fairer place for everyone.

You can read more in our Strategic Update Report. If you want to find out how you can play a part, contact us at fairerfalkirk@falkirk.gov.uk.