Living in rural Scotland comes with a hidden, unjust financial penalty that can trap households in hardship and ‘quiet crisis’, a new report says.
The Poverty Alliance has published lessons learned from a three-year project looking at the extra costs placed on people in rural communities when it comes to getting everyday necessities like food, transport, heating, childcare, social care, and health care.
The findings from the Taking Action on Rural Poverty (TARP) project will be presented to Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodlad MSP when she visits the project’s showcase at the Royal Highland Show today (Fri 19 June).
Alongside the findings, the Minister will be shown a series of powerful photo storyboards created by local Citizens’ Panel members from Argyll & Bute and Aberdeenshire. As well as documenting their lived experiences of financial strain and limited choices, the exhibition highlights the strength panel members draw from connections to their communities and from working together to create change.
David Reilly, Communities & Networks Manager at the Poverty Alliance, said: “The true scale of rural hardship can sometimes be masked by postcard-perfect landscapes. But our TARP project has uncovered how many people living in our countryside are facing a steep, unjust premium just to go about their daily lives. People love living rurally but that shouldn’t come at a cost. Many live in quiet crisis,
“When you are forced to pay extra for transport, rely on the most expensive off-grid heating, and have virtually no local childcare, a normal life can become unaffordable – especially when you are on a low income already.
“These poverty premiums drain money, time, and opportunity away from rural communities. Our project shows how the Scottish Government, local authorities, and other rural partners can work together to dismantle these unfair rural costs.”
Working with residents in Aberdeenshire and Argyll & Bute, the TARP project used Citizens’ Panels, local events, and participatory research to explore how extra living costs act as a financial trap.
The project – funded by the Robertson Trust – has highlighted four major lessons for policymakers looking to reduce the impact of poverty in rural areas:
rural poverty premiums affect nearly every aspect of daily life
proper community participation can make local anti-poverty actions more effective
public, private and voluntary sector organisations need to work together to create lasting support for people on low incomes
the language around rural hardship matters and can sometimes make people feel they are being blamed for their own poverty, when it is actually unjust structures that are to blame
Jane Paterson, a member of the Argyll and Bute Citizens’ Panel, who helped create the photo storyboards, said:
“People in cities don’t realise how quickly everything adds up out here, and how choice is a luxury we don’t have. If the local bus only runs twice a day, you have to keep a car, which means you are entirely at the mercy of fuel prices just to get your kids to school or buy groceries.
“Our photo storyboards aren’t just art projects -they are a glimpse into the constant, exhausting calculations we have to make every single day just to keep our heads above water. We hope the Minister looks at our stories and understands that we aren’t asking for handouts; we are asking for a fair chance to live in our own communities without being financially penalised for it.”
Following the presentation at the Royal Highland Show, the Poverty Alliance aims to take the Photovoice exhibition into communities in Aberdeenshire and Argyll & Bute, using them as a platform to celebrate the resilience of participants, and to share the project lessons with local and national partners.
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