Former BBC broadcaster and poverty and trauma expert appointed to top Highland Council roles as Maggie Cunningham and Dr. Jim McCormick will head up the £870,000 poverty and equality commission
Highland Council has agreed the appointment of Maggie Cunningham and Dr. Jim McCormick to lead the new £870,000 poverty and equality commission board.
The role of the commission will be to tackle poverty “effectively” in the Highlands, including by considering rural factors and helping people access benefits.
The council said that thousands of people in the region could access an estimated £70 million of unclaimed benefits that includes pension credits impacting 3000 people.
It will be run by the board made up of today’s two appointees, councillors and public sector partner organisations, the third sector or community representatives.
They will then report directly to the council, providing recommendations for action, change and transformation.
The council said the “appointments will be instrumental” in showing “how poverty affects families” and “how service delivery needs to change” to tackle “poverty-related issues”.
Ms Cunningham worked at a senior level in the BBC for over 20 years and is currently the chair of An Comunn Gàidhealach, which runs the Royal National Mòd.
She also has experience with Ofcom, MG Alba and is also the chair of the Kyle and Lochalsh Community Development Trust.
She was a founding board member of Sistema Scotland until 2019 and is a Director of Highland Tourism Community Interest Company (CIC).
Dr McCormick is chief executive of The Robertson Trust, an independent charity which funds solutions to poverty and trauma across Scotland.
Before that he was with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and ran an independent research consultancy and was director of the Scottish Council Foundation think-tank.
He is a member of the Living Wage Commission and has experience with the Disability and Carers Benefits Advisory Group and the Edinburgh Poverty Commission.
Raymond Bremner, leader of Highland council said:
“I congratulate Maggie Cunningham and Jim McCormick on their appointments as chairs of the poverty and equality commission. Highland Councillors have given cross-party support to the creation of the commission, and I look forward to the progressive and positive work of the commission that will make a difference to people’s lives.”
Bill Lobban, Convener of Highland Council said:
“As non-elected independent experts the co-chair appointments will ensure that there is impartial expertise at the centre of the commission’s board and its activities. I welcome the chairs’ appointments who, along with members of the commission board, will work to identify strategies, actions and approaches to ease and prevent poverty in Highland.”
Alasdair Christie, Leader of the Opposition said:
“I am fully supportive of the appointment of the two new chairs who will bring a breadth of knowledge and understanding to the work of the poverty and equality commission. Their specialist awareness will help to support the Commission’s work which will seek to improve the lives of many individuals and children and their families across Highland communities.”
