Labour chairwoman Annelise Dodds visits New Start Highland to see charity's work
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New Start Highland could provide a template for tackling issues of poverty, homelessness and long-term unemployment according to the Labour chairwoman who travelled to the Highlands to make her party’s presence felt.
MP Annelise Dodds visited the charity in Inverness where she was joined by its chief executive, James Dunbar, and Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant.
Ms Dodds said she was interested in finding out more about innovative initiatives, like New Start, which has bases in Wick, Thurso and Dingwall as well as its headquarters in Inverness.
After seeing the operation work she said it could make a difference not just in its own area but also be used as a template for action elsewhere.
“I really wanted to find out about all the work that was happening here at New Start Highland," she said. "I heard all about the excellent work to help people into work but I found out there is a lot more going on here as well.
“There is a huge amount of support for people from getting new skills to help people sustain a tenancy, retraining people and of course helping people who have lived here all their lives, but also the refugees that are coming into the city.
“From my point of view it is important that Labour has a presence. I am the chair of the whole Labour Party and I want to make sure that I am getting out and about with Scottish Labour and finding out about the sort of things that I would want to see Labour doing in Westminster after the next general election and working with Scottish Labour.”
Mr Dunbar said: “It is always a pleasure to show politicians of any persuasion what we do, because what we are not here to be political, but politicians make the policies that affect the work we do.
“The thing that interests me the most are the politicians who are genuinely interested in the work that we do, who understand the holistic service that we offer and who experience the greatest marginalisation in our society.
“I think poverty goes under the radar not just in the Highlands but also across the UK where it is not treated as the cause of many of the problems that it is.
“If you lift people out of poverty, if you give people employment and purpose and hope then many of the other problems that we experience as human beings drop off or become lesser.”
Mrs Grant added: “Where we live in Inverness it is so beautiful but you can walk between two areas of the city and the life expectancy of people is two decades different.
“It is just not right and these guys are doing fabulous work trying to do something about this.”
