Posted on 15 Mar 2021
A new report by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland has been published by partners involved in exploring the feasibility of basic income pilots.
Fife, North Ayrshire, City of Edinburgh and Glasgow City Councils are working together with NHS Health Scotland and the Improvement Service to explore the feasibility of a Scottish Citizen’s Basic Income (CBI) pilot. The aims of pilot studies are to test CBI in reducing poverty and inequality and providing a possible route to a fairer and simpler welfare system.
Although there are many different models of CBI , the aim is to promote fairness and provide people with a CBI they can use whether they want to earn, learn, care, or set up a business.
The study partners have commissioned specific research from the Child Poverty Action Group which will be used to inform the feasibility work. Together with other commissioned research, all findings will be carefully considered by the partners before final recommendations are made to the Scottish Government next Spring.
CPAG’s report was discussed today at a meeting of the Citizens Basic Income Scotland Steering Group with stakeholders from across public and voluntary sectors.
Project Manager Wendy Hearty explained: “As part of a package of work commissioned by the Steering Group, CPAG were asked to look at the powers that could be used to pilot basic income in Scotland and the implications of this choice on social security entitlements. The resulting report considers options and consequences for those taking part in a pilot if current social security entitlements were to change within a pilot.”
The report highlights the complexities of the current social security systems and the challenges involved in putting a basic income pilot in place.
Added Wendy: “The Steering Group will now consider all the findings in the report, alongside the findings from the other strands of research we’re doing, before making our recommendations to the Scottish Government next year.”
