East Lothian Poverty Commission

Call for Evidence- Personal Stories and Experiences

March 2016

What is the Poverty Commission?

The East Lothian Poverty Commissioners are a group of people who care about the issue of poverty in East Lothian. We want to find out more about peoples experiences of poverty and what the effect of poverty on people’s lives is. We will work to identify ways to tackle poverty and make life better for those living in poverty.

We want to hear from you. Tell us your story and your experiences of living in poverty or close to it. Tell us what life is like for you. We would like to hear how poverty affects your life, what worries you have and how it makes you feel.
We also want to hear your ideas and suggestions for change. What can be done to make things better for you and your family? What would help you to move out of poverty?

We will use your stories and ideas to help us to suggest new ways of tackling poverty and to change negative attitudes towards poverty.

For more information about the Commission

If you would like more information about the Poverty Commission or have any questions about our work please get in touch:

· Visit www.eastlothian.gov.uk/povertycommission

· Email

· Phone 01620 82 7134

· East Lothian Poverty Commission Facebook page

Section 1: About you

Name (optional)
If you would like to receive more information about the future work of the Commission please leave us a postal or email address
Where in East Lothian do you live?

Section 2: Personal experiences of Poverty

· Are you living in poverty or close to poverty?

· How does poverty affect you?

· Did something happen/change that meant you are now have less money than you used to?

· How does poverty make you feel?

Section 3: Everyday living

· What do you spend most of your money on?

· Are there times of the year when ‘making ends meet’ are harder?

· Do you have access to the internet? Where and how do you access it?

· Where do you turn for advice and support to deal with money or other worries?

· Have you used a Food Bank in East Lothian?

Yes / No
East Lothian Foodbank
Basics Bank Musselburgh
Basics Bank Dunbar
Other (please tell us which one)

· What would help you to move out of poverty?

· Is there anything in your local community that makes life better for you?

· Do you have ideas about how we can tackle poverty in East Lothian?

How to respond to the Call for Evidence:

To respond to the Call for Evidence you can:

1. Complete and return the attached evidence submission.

2. Prepare a video or other recorded submission that the Commissioners can consider.

3. Invite the Commission to visit your Community organisation, group or workplace to hear your views and share your experiences.

How to submit your evidence:

· Please submit your evidence by Monday 16th of May 2016.

· Email:

· Video evidence: Please upload your video to Youtube or Dropbox (or similar service) and send us the link. Alternatively get in touch and we can arrange for you to send your video to us.

· In person: Contact us to arrange for us to meet with you or your community organisation.

· By phone: 01620 82 7134

· By Post: East Lothian Poverty Commission,

C/o Corporate Policy and Improvement,

East Lothian Council,

John Muir House,

Haddington,

East Lothian

EH41 3HA