Guest blog: Building a fairer Aberdeen – 10 years on

As the Fairer Aberdeen Fund marks its 10-year anniversary, there’s an opportunity to reflect on a decade of support provided for the most vulnerable people in the city, and look ahead to the future.  

The Fund, which is allocated by Aberdeen City Council, is a crucial investment in tackling poverty and disadvantage.  

In the last year alone, 38 initiatives were delivered across the city by 26 voluntary and third sector organisations, that have supported over 50,000 people to access support for employability, financial inclusion, family support, youth work, mental health, learning and volunteering. 

But when you look at the 10-year figures, the vast scale of impact becomes apparent. Over 1.3 million hours of volunteering valued at £20 million generated. More than £32million in financial gain achieved for individuals and families. Almost £20million in affordable loans provided benefiting 61,000 people through credit unions. 2,600 people helped in securing employment. 4,700 tonnes of food distributed. These are just a handful of examples of the positive impact of the Fund.  

The numbers are impressive, being achieved with the relatively modest investment of just £1.5million per year. It should be noted that despite this remaining flat over the 10 years, the organisations funded through Fairer Aberdeen have made incredible efforts to make the money go as far as possible in supporting people.  

From a purely financial point of view, it is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways of ensuring vulnerable people are supported through grass-roots organisations on the front line in responding to poverty.  

As well as this demonstrable quantitative impact, it’s the human stories that are at the heart of the importance of Fairer Aberdeen.  

“When I first came to the food bank, I had nothing – I had been made redundant and had no savings. I needed food and I got it. But I also got a place that didn’t judge me, I was accepted and they helped me apply for a crisis grant and I joined the pantry. They looked at the person, me – it was real compassion.” – T - CFINE food bank beneficiary. 

The Fund takes a Participatory Budgeting approach and is distributed by a Board of partners and community members from priority neighbourhoods, recognising the value and knowledge that local people bring to working in partnership to tackle issues:  

“The Fairer Aberdeen Fund is important for the city as it lets local people make decisions on funding that has an impact on their local communities. As a community member on the Fairer Aberdeen Board I can help make a difference to the priority neighbourhoods of Aberdeen. There are many communities in Aberdeen that are facing deprivation and disadvantage, and the Fund can help alleviate some of the struggles people face by giving organisations funding to help with various issues.” – Jody Reid, board community member, Northfield.  

As we mark 10 years of the Fund, there is, regrettably, a seemingly constant shadow hanging over it, with the threat of funding cuts, or even removal being a very real concern. As Councillors wrangle with challenging financial circumstances, it’s more important than ever that the most disadvantaged in society are prioritised. Protecting, and indeed investing further in the Fairer Aberdeen Fund would achieve just that.