Human rights ‘not fully met’ for people across south of Scotland, report finds
Last updated 22 hours ago
People living in the south of Scotland are not having all of their basic human rights fully met, according to a new report from the Scottish Human Rights Commission.
It says poor transport, rising living costs and the loss of public services are creating significant barriers to accessing essentials including food, housing and healthcare.
The report looked at eight local authority areas - home to almost 1.2 million people - including the Scottish Borders.
The commission gathered evidence through public meetings, an online survey and focus groups, as well as reviewing around 200 public reports and audits.
More than half of survey respondents said they were worried about being able to afford food, while almost half said they relied on a food bank or knew somebody who did.
More than 80% said they were worried about accessing healthcare services.
The report also highlights concerns over housing, including people living in damp and mouldy conditions and worries about the availability of affordable homes.
Professor Angela O’Hagan, chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, said the findings provide a snapshot of people's experiences across the region.
“What we found is that across the 10 areas of rights that are required in the international human rights framework, none of those rights are being fully met in the south of Scotland,” she told Greatest Hits Radio.
“Affordability with the rising costs of living, rising fuel costs and the accessibility and availability of affordable food means that people are choosing between food, heating and housing.
“Too much support depends on short-term funding and the significant reliance on community services and voluntary organisations. That huge reliance is not sustainable because the funding is not reliable, meaning that the stability of these organisations in the present and the future is fragile.
“Closures of schools, libraries and swimming pools also have a significant impact on people's lives."
The report comes as the Scottish Government considers major changes to the way local services are run — including plans to replace existing council structures with regional authorities and community-level bodies, and to replace Scotland’s 14 territorial NHS boards with two strategic boards.
Professor O’Hagan said: “People in the south of Scotland told us they feel distant from decision making.
“This report is about amplifying their voices and taking the evidence direct to the Scottish Parliament.”
And she added: “We’re calling on the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, local authorities and the NHS boards to take action, taking a human rights based approach, putting in place measures to address these gaps."
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South of Scotland Liberal Democrat MSP Duncan Dunlop said the report showed the Scottish Government is failing people - and accused the SNP of hoarding power in Edinburgh.
He said public service reform should put more money, decision-making and policy-making into the communities where people live.
“It is deeply concerning when we have a situation where nearly half the population use a food bank or know someone who does on a weekly basis," Mr Dunlop said. "That is shocking in modern day developed Scotland.”
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First Minister John Swinney defended the Scottish Government's record and said it was doing what it could to support people to meet their basic needs.
He pointed to housing investment, energy efficiency schemes and financial support aimed at tackling child poverty.
But the MSP said some of the issues raised by the report were the responsibility of the UK Government, particularly the cost of energy.
Mr Swinney said: “The government does all that we can to support the meeting of basic needs of individuals in our society with an extensive housing investment programme, with support through energy efficiency projects, through the financial support we make available to tackle issues such as child poverty.
"We also work to create new economic opportunities. Just earlier on this year we announced a series of projects in the south of Scotland that would create over 2,000 jobs.
"Obviously there are areas of responsibility that are outwith our ability to take those decisions, particularly on energy costs which is a United Kingdom government responsibility with sky high energy prices in an energy rich country. So these ironies have got to be addressed by the UK government and they've got to deliver on the commitments to lower energy costs as they promised to do."
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