Posts tagged Policy briefing

Beyond legislation The Community Empowerment Bill is one small part of the change needed to enable more empowered communities. It is vital that this Bill is considered in those terms and not seen as the totality of the approach that is required. It is our view that the impact of... Read more

20th January 2015 The third sector in Scotland has long thought that ensuring the well-being of people across Scotland should be the guiding principle behind any vision for Scotland. Inequality is not just about the money in people’s pockets. It’s about a range of other issues... Read more

Income, Regional and Social Inequality SCVO considers that any future Scottish Government economic strategies should focus on using the economy, and the wealth it creates, to tackle Scotland’s endemic social, health and income inequalities. Scotland suffers from economic... Read more

Responding to Stage 1 report We welcome the depth and detail in the Welfare Reform Committee’s consideration of the Bill. In this section we respond to some of the points made in the Stage 1 report. Fraud/Trust We are supportive of the Committee’s recommendation that the ethos... Read more

On Wednesday 3 December, the Chancellor George Osborne announce his Autumn Statement – outlining the latest spending and tax decisions of the UK Government. Read full statement and report What does the statement mean for the third sector? Here we list the main announced changes... Read more

Why do we want to rethink our democracy? On the face of it, Scottish democracy works. People exercise their right to vote in a number of different elections and are then governed and represented by those who the majority voted for. Yet this is a very simplistic assessment of the... Read more

The human costs of welfare reform The sector has been at the forefront of dealing with the fall out of a range of cuts and changes to benefits and tax credits.[i] Working with our members and partners and a whole range of voluntary organisations, the picture we are building is... Read more

A Rights Deficit? Along with our members and third sector/civic society partners, SCVO has been vocal about the impact of austerity measures and welfare cuts and the resultant effect on people’s ability to fulfil basic human rights. Responses to, for example, the Oakley review on... Read more

Briefing Since the inception of the Scottish Parliament, the third sector’s role in the creation of public policy has had a positive effect. By developing strong links with parliamentarians and government officials the third sector has formed productive relationships which ensure... Read more

Land and Buildings Transaction Tax Bands and Rates: Call for Evidence This paper presents SCVO’s position on the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax bands and rates presented in the draft Budget 2015-16. It is offered in response to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee’s... Read more