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Terms of Reference

Introduction

Our Terms of Reference, support arrangements and reporting approach are set out below.

Background

In March 2025, as part of the Highland Council’s Budget setting approach, it was agreed to establish a Poverty and Equality Commission. The aim is to consider, improve and crucially accelerate our collective approach to tackling poverty in Highland.

Approach

We are an independent Commission. Our remit flows from the Council and our reporting duty is back to the Council, but our focus of inquiry is wider. We will make choices about our ways of working, engaging, communicating and reporting. We are here to develop solutions for Highland as a whole and will develop calls to action relevant to each sector. We want to test the proposal of working in the open as far as possible, using blogs, briefing note and interim findings as we go rather than being limited to one final report.

The focus is to be on ‘what works’ and this should include both direct mitigation measures alongside changes to how we provide and deliver services to develop preventative and early intervention approaches and integrated services.

The aims of the Commission are to:

  • address causes, consequences and responses to poverty across Highland’s diverse communities – including but not limited to rural poverty.
  • Integrated services are likely to be an important element of removing the frustrations people often experience of trying to access services and being past from “pillar to post”. Consequently, exploring options for a ‘no wrong door/single gateway’ approach will be an important consideration for the Commission; however, it is recognised that integration in itself is not a panacea for addressing poverty.
  • Consider how the culture of services can shift to reduce stigma, remove barriers and empower people to access high quality opportunities.
  • Explore which elements of inequality matter most in addressing poverty e.g. to ensure we understand and are acting on the inequality in outcomes experienced by diverse people and places in (and at risk of) poverty.

Reporting

The Commission will report directly to Council, providing recommendations for action, change and transformation. Updates will also be provided to the Community Planning Partnership Board, recognising that a collective cross-partnership approach is likely to be required to transform the approach to tackling poverty across Highland communities.

It is anticipated that an update report will be delivered to the Council in December 2025 with the final report being presented to the Council at its meeting on 25 June 2026.

Support Secretariat

Administrative and policy support for the Commission will be provided by the Highland Council.

Terms of Reference

Introduction

Our Terms of Reference, support arrangements and reporting approach are set out below.

Background

In March 2025, as part of the Highland Council’s Budget setting approach, it was agreed to establish a Poverty and Equality Commission. The aim is to consider, improve and crucially accelerate our collective approach to tackling poverty in Highland.

Approach

We are an independent Commission. Our remit flows from the Council and our reporting duty is back to the Council, but our focus of inquiry is wider. We will make choices about our ways of working, engaging, communicating and reporting. We are here to develop solutions for Highland as a whole and will develop calls to action relevant to each sector. We want to test the proposal of working in the open as far as possible, using blogs, briefing note and interim findings as we go rather than being limited to one final report.

The focus is to be on ‘what works’ and this should include both direct mitigation measures alongside changes to how we provide and deliver services to develop preventative and early intervention approaches and integrated services.

The aims of the Commission are to:

  • address causes, consequences and responses to poverty across Highland’s diverse communities – including but not limited to rural poverty.
  • Integrated services are likely to be an important element of removing the frustrations people often experience of trying to access services and being past from “pillar to post”. Consequently, exploring options for a ‘no wrong door/single gateway’ approach will be an important consideration for the Commission; however, it is recognised that integration in itself is not a panacea for addressing poverty.
  • Consider how the culture of services can shift to reduce stigma, remove barriers and empower people to access high quality opportunities.
  • Explore which elements of inequality matter most in addressing poverty e.g. to ensure we understand and are acting on the inequality in outcomes experienced by diverse people and places in (and at risk of) poverty.

Reporting

The Commission will report directly to Council, providing recommendations for action, change and transformation. Updates will also be provided to the Community Planning Partnership Board, recognising that a collective cross-partnership approach is likely to be required to transform the approach to tackling poverty across Highland communities.

It is anticipated that an update report will be delivered to the Council in December 2025 with the final report being presented to the Council at its meeting on 25 June 2026.

Support Secretariat

Administrative and policy support for the Commission will be provided by the Highland Council.