Tackling poverty is ‘no easy task’

By Gemma Hockey

DEPUTIES now realise solving Guernsey’s poverty problem is not easy, it was claimed by Government Business Plan chairman Stuart Falla. A workshop to discuss the future of the Corporate Anti-Poverty Programme and redistributing wealth, priority four of the plan, was attended by 32 deputies yesterday.

Leading the workshop were Deputy Falla, Social Policy Steering Group chairman Deputy Peter Roffey and Professor David Gordon, from the Townsend Centre.

Deputy Falla said many walked away with a more realistic attitude towards Capp.

‘I think everybody got halfway through the morning and thought that this was more complicated than they first thought.

‘The complexity of the matter was clearly illustrated.’

He said the parallels between the Capp and the Corporate Housing Programme in tackling the 16% of households living in relative poverty was now recognised.

‘Those people who say not much has been done conveniently ignore what has been achieved in terms of housing and the programme,’ he said.

‘Guernsey has done a lot about its housing situation, other things have come after that, but the first hit was clearly housing.

Deputy Falla said moves towards joined-up government have seen improvements in relationships between the departments involved in Capp.

‘There is a view held in some areas that we could do more and we are working at a slower pace than some would like, but that’s how politics is,’ he said. Deputy Falla said the next move was to produce a social policy plan, which will be led by social policies coordinator Sarah Murphy.

Professor Gordon’s attitude towards the number living in relative poverty had improved since his 2002 report.

‘Having redistribution of wealth as a priority in the GBP shows maturity in Guernsey’s approach to this problem,’ he said.