Fairness | Dundee City Council

The Dundee Partnership published its first Fairness Strategy in June 2012. Since then, we have been working continuously to try to reduce poverty and inequalities. This is the place where you will find all our Fairness and Child Poverty annual reports and details about our Fairness Leadership Panel and how it influences and scrutinises our efforts, plans and actions. We also share information about the shape of poverty in Dundee, how people report their experience of it and case studies that show how hard we are working with people to help them fight against the causes and consequences of life on low incomes.

Download the Dundee Fairness Action Plan / Child Poverty Annual Report 2023/2024.

Dundee Fairness and Local Child Poverty Action Plan Reports

Every year we publish the annual Dundee Fairness and Local Child Poverty Action Plan and Report (the Dundee Fairness Plan). This report presents key highlights and significant strategic developments in our work to address impacts of poverty and inequalities, and the progress of the actions we are taking.

Here you can find our latest report, and all the reports we have produced since 2019. In 2023 we also started issuing a 'Plan on a page' – a summarised version of our main report, which is published in the autumn.

Our 2024 Fairness Plan report is available to download here. The following documents supplement the report:

Here are our previous Dundee Fairness and Child Poverty Action Plan Reports:

Fairness Leadership Panel

The Fairness Leadership Panel is now firmly established as a driving force in the Dundee’s efforts to reduce poverty for children, families, and communities. The Panel is a full and effective collaboration between people with lived experience of the impact of low incomes and representatives of influential bodies and groups in the city. The perspective of 'experts by experience' on the Fairness Leadership Panel is provided by members of Dundee Fighting for Fairness (DFFF). This is a charitable group made up of community members who participated in the Dundee Fairness Commissions. They are supported by Faith in Community Dundee which has detailed expertise in this area and an ongoing relationship with the former community commissioners. The funding required to support and develop DFFF continues to be provided jointly by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Dundee City Council.

Profile of Dundee

In order to inform the activities undertaken by the Dundee Partnership to tackle poverty in Dundee, a range of information is needed to help with targeting actions, and monitoring where change has been brought about. While the City Plan focuses on three strategic priorities (reduction of child poverty and inequalities in income, education and health; delivering inclusive economic growth; tackling climate change and reaching Net Zero carbon emissions by 2045), broader information is contained in the following documents:

A briefing paper discussing the key findings from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2020, can be downloaded here
The national SIMD website
Dundee Poverty Profile
Latest Census data available on the Scotland’s Census website

Engage Dundee

The Engage Dundee survey was a collective effort between national and local organisations. The information gathered will aid efforts to tackle inequalities and support residents to cope in the current financial climate. The survey explored the difficulties and changes experienced by people, personal finances, use of services, health and wellbeing, and future support.

With 1,181 individuals responding, there is a lot of information to be found in the report which can be downloaded here. A summary of the report is also available here.

Local Fairness Initiatives

In 2022 Dundee City Council launched Local Fairness Initiatives in Linlathen and Stobswell West, taking a partnership approach to tackling inequalities related to poverty and low income. Two local Steering Groups work collaboratively in these communities to improve access to advice and support, reduce barriers to employment, and make improvements to the quality of housing and community spaces.

Alongside the work of the Local Fairness Initiative we have helped to establish the Stobswell Connect shop on Albert Street, in partnership with Stobswell Forum SCIO. Many organisations providing support and advice can be accessed at the Stobswell Connect shop in the heart of Stobswell.

In Linlathen, our Community Empowerment Team are working with the community voice group, Friends of Linlathen, to help them become a constituted community representative structure. The 'Lifting Linlathen' project, overseen by Brooksbank Advice Centre, launched in early 2023. The aim of the project is to provide income maximisation and benefits advice as well as opportunities to take part in enhanced range of activities and groups for the residents of Linlathen and Mid-Craigie.

You can view profile infographics for Linlathen and Stobswell West:

Challenge Poverty Week

Challenge Poverty Week is a national campaign taking place each year in October which highlights that a society without poverty is possible and showcases solutions we can all get behind.

Find out what's happening in Dundee during this week by viewing our events calendar.

The Poverty Alliance are driving the Challenge Poverty Week movement. The Scotland-wide campaign is designed to show that far too many people face the constant pressure of living on low income. You can find out more information on the National Campaign by visiting Challenge Poverty Week website.

Each day throughout Challenge Poverty Week 2024 we will host our own information events, as well as highlighting organisations and local actions which help alleviate the negative effects of living with limited resources. Dundee City Council also supports some of these activities through our various funding streams, including funding from the Dundee Partnership.

Too many of our residents feel a great deal of pressure linked to the rising costs of essentials. The council provides advice and support throughout the year to our citizens, and we use the Challenge Poverty Week to highlight all the great work that is happening in our city. There are many ways in which the council can help you access support and advice:

In response to the cost-of-living crisis we have set up a dedicated section on our website: Help with the cost of living. This page contains links to sources of help and advice from Dundee City Council, our partners and external organisations.

If you are in need of advice but unsure who to ask, this handy 'What Do I Do If?' leaflet will help you find the right support.

We are also part of the national Cost of the School Day campaign. This is an approach adopted by all schools in Dundee where a range of initiatives take place aimed at reducing school related costs for families. You can read about the Cost of the School Day campaign on the Child Poverty Action Group page here.

As a Local Authority Dundee City Council is committed to tackling poverty and inequality by collaborative working with others through the Dundee Partnership. You can read more about our approach to fairness in the Dundee Fairness Action Plan / Child Poverty Annual Report 2023/2024.

Challenge Poverty Week Podcast 2023

In 2023 we composed a Challenge Poverty Week podcast ‘Dundee’s Young Voices Speak up for Cost of the School Day’. Poverty awareness and positive action to remove school cost for families form a key part of Dundee schools efforts to reduce the costs of learning for everyone.

In this podcast series we spoke to children from three primary schools – Rosebank, Camperdown and St Clement’s. We wanted to hear children’s views on costs related to their school day and learn about how their school supports families who may struggle under the pressure of the rising costs of living.

Making Dundee a Living Wage City

In 2019 Dundee became the first city in the UK to declare a commitment to becoming a 'Living Wage City'. A dedicated action group was established to help raise awareness and promote the benefits of paying the real Living Wage to the Dundee business community. Recently we celebrated out 5th anniversary of the 'Making Dundee a Living Wage City' campaign. One of the highlights for Dundee was hosting the annual Living Wage Scotland awards during Living Wage Week in November 2023 at the V&A.

The rate of the real Living Wage is calculated each year by the Resolution Foundation reflecting the true cost of every day essentials like housing, energy, groceries and clothing. Unlike the national living wage, the real Living Wage is payable to all employees over 18 years old with accreditation being a voluntary scheme for employers, who commit to paying a fair wage to their employees.

Currently there are 128 businesses based or headquartered in Dundee who are accredited as a Living Wage employer. Dundee's biggest institutions, including NHS Tayside, Dundee University, Dundee & Angus College, Social Security Scotland and Dundee City Council are all committed to this enhanced rate of pay. All our five cultural attractions managed by Leisure & Culture Dundee are also part of this scheme, as well as our local Chamber of Commerce. We encourage all local businesses to become accredited Living Wage employers and join the campaign to make Dundee a Living Wage city.

If you wish to contact the Dundee Living Wage Action Group, please e-mail: daga.awad@dundeecity.gov.uk

For more information about the Living Wage please visit the Living Wage Scotland website.

Read a blog post from Oliver Bruce (Kanzen for Life) about the impact paying the Living Wage has had on him and his employer.

Dundee's Fairness Commission (2015-2021)

Dundee has had three Fairness Commissions. Each of them brought together members with a wealth of experience from a range of settings including partners in the public, voluntary, community, private and academic sectors. Together the Commission members:

Considered the nature, extent and impact of poverty in Dundee
Identified and investigated the key causes and consequences of poverty along with policy and practical measures to address these
Considered evidence of what has worked elsewhere to combat poverty and inequality
Assessed the effectiveness of the efforts to date of Dundee City Council and the broader Dundee Partnership through the Fairness Action Plan for Dundee
Sought the views and involvement of those experiencing poverty first hand
Prepared a report for the Dundee Partnership and Dundee City Council with recommendations on additional priorities for action to tackle and reduce poverty in the city

The first meeting of the first Commission took place in April 2015 and led to discussions and investigation into; child poverty and levels of educational attainment, Welfare Reform and its impact, in-work poverty and the Living Wage, employability and youth employment, food security and fuel poverty. The Commissions work culminated in the report 'A Fair Way To Go'.

The second and third Dundee Fairness Commissions brought together twelve 'Community Commissioners' with lived experience of poverty, and twelve 'Civic Commissioners' who work in the public, political and business sectors. The Community Commissioners have gone on to form a campaigning group called 'Dundee Fighting For Fairness'.

The second Commission identified three key areas that they focussed on through working groups; Stigma, Money, and Mental Health. The recommendations of the second Dundee Fairness Commission can be found on the Dundee Fighting for Fairness website.

The third Commission also identified three key areas to investigate through working groups; Disability, Food & Fuel Insecurity, and Mental Health & Wellbeing. The recommendations of the third Commission can be downloaded from our website.

To continue this area of work long-term, a Fairness Leadership Panel has been set up. This has a similar structure to the Fairness Commissions and has an additional remit of contributing to and scrutinising reports on progress in tackling poverty in the city.