The Tackling Poverty, Inequalities and Housing Sub Committee are scheduled to meet to discuss a range of issues including child poverty, British Sign Language (BSL), funding for projects that tackle poverty and inequalities, and housing. The committee will consider the impact of poverty, inequalities, and welfare reform on the region, as well as council policies and strategies to mitigate these issues. Members will also review presentations from stakeholders and partners to inform their understanding of best practices in tackling poverty, inequalities and housing.

Housing Emergency Action Plan

The committee will consider an update on the Housing Emergency Action Plan (HEAP), which was developed following the declaration of a housing emergency in the region on 27 June 2024.

The report pack states that the Scottish Government declared a national housing emergency on 15 May 2024, and that Dumfries and Galloway Council officers have been engaging with civil servants to share information on what the council is doing to resolve the crisis.

The Scottish Government published a national housing emergency action plan on 2 September 2025, with objectives including:

• Ending children living in unsuitable accommodation
• Supporting the housing needs of vulnerable communities
• Maximising investment in Scotland’s housing sector

Some of the commitments in the plan include:

• Doubling investment in acquisitions, in particular family homes.
• Investing up to £2 million through the discretionary housing payments scheme to support households currently in temporary accommodation to find settled homes in the private rented sector.
• Expanding Housing First through a £3 million capital grant that enables registered social landlords to acquire suitable properties.
• Delivering up to £4.9 billion of investment over the coming four years through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme¹.
• Implementing a national planning policy on housing where a planning application is for 10 or more homes on land not allocated for housing.
• Expanding the scope of the Open Market Shared Equity Scheme² to support first-time buyers.

The report pack states that the HEAP contains three main objectives: delivery of more homes, making the best use of empty homes, and enhancing housing access and the prevention of homelessness. Approaches to delivering the action plan include lobbying for additional resources, building on existing partnership working, and increased communication and engagement.

The committee will also consider the membership of the Strategic Housing Forum (SHF) to align with the council's current democratic structures. The report pack states that the 26 August 2025 meeting of Full Council agreed that the leadership arrangements for the SHF are reviewed by the Tackling Poverty, Inequalities and Housing Sub Committee to ensure it is appropriately aligned to the current democratic arrangements of the Council.

The report pack states that the council currently has eight political groups, and that decision making regarding membership of the SHF is at the discretion of the local authority. The report suggests that the committee may wish to consider recommending to the Economy and Infrastructure Committee that they nominate one member of each political group to sit on the SHF, with the addition of Councillor Richard Brodie, Chair of Tackling Poverty, Inequalities and Housing Sub Committee.

Options for Future Arrangements of Funding for Projects that Tackle Poverty and Inequalities

The committee will discuss options for the future of funding arrangements for projects that tackle poverty and inequalities from April 2026. The report pack states that the council has allocated significant policy investment funding to tackle poverty and inequalities over the last 13 years.

The report pack also states that the council's Business Intelligence Team completed an updated end of year evaluation of all of the projects, and that the evaluation showed significant positive impacts on local communities and vulnerable residents.

The report pack notes that the Tackling Poverty, Inequalities and Housing Sub Committee have made clear that they would like to see a report on options for core funding some of the council's work on tackling poverty and inequalities. The report pack suggests that the committee may wish to consider allocating the £630,000 recurring policy investment budget permanently to tackling poverty and inequalities projects.

Dumfries and Galloway Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2024 – 2026: Annual Report for 2024-25

The committee will consider the annual report for 2024-25 on the Dumfries and Galloway Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2024 – 2026. The report pack states that the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 places a duty on local authorities and health boards to jointly report annually on activity to reduce child poverty.

The report pack states that the most recent figures show that the rate of child poverty in Scotland and in Dumfries and Galloway has decreased from 26.9% (2022-23) to 22.7% (2023-24). This equates to 5,672 children and young people living in poverty in Dumfries and Galloway.

The report pack states that the Scottish Government's Best Start, Bright Futures: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026 identifies three drivers of child poverty reduction: income from employment, costs of living, and income from social security and benefits in-kind.

The report pack contains case studies that illustrate the impact of the council's approach to tackling child poverty. One case study describes how the Lift D&G project has been able to offer short breaks, emotional support, and community engagement opportunities to vulnerable families. Another case study describes how a young person from Dumfries and Galloway has experienced a boost in confidence and wellbeing thanks to support from the Direct Payments to Vulnerable Young People project.

British Sign Language Plan 2025 to 2030 – One Year Progress Report

The committee will receive a one-year progress report on the British Sign Language Plan 2025 to 2030. The report pack states that the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 requires public bodies in Scotland to publish plans every six years, showing how they will promote BSL.

The report pack states that the BSL Plan 2024 – 2030 has been based around seven key themes: BSL data, BSL awareness and training, BSL accessibility, transport, BSL culture, access to employment, and education.

The report pack notes some progress that has been made, including that the impact assessment toolkit has been updated to include a category on BSL users, and that the council's website now includes a BSL button which takes you to a number of BSL videos that provide information on a range of council services. The report pack also notes that since the beginning of 2024, the council has delivered seven Deaf/BSL Awareness Sessions with 158 participants having completed the training.

Presentation by North West Community Development Network

The committee will receive a presentation from North West Dumfries Community Development Network, a community-led initiative established in 2024. The report pack states that North West Dumfries is the smallest council ward in terms of geography and one of the most populous, and that it experiences significant challenges, with nine of Dumfries and Galloway's eighteen most deprived data zones located within its boundaries.

The report pack states that the network seeks to address local issues concerning health and wellbeing, wealth, justice and opportunity, maximise community impact whilst reducing duplication and effort, build the skills, capacity and opportunities for local organisations to deliver effective, place-based solutions, and explore and determine the most suitable service delivery model.