Low income residents to get a £110 gift shop card – but they won’t be allowed to buy tobacco

More than 84,500 households who qualify for council tax reduction are due to get the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card posted to them from the council in May, as part of a Scottish Government covid recovery package.

They can spend the card in certain shops, but there are plans to stop them buying cigarettes or other tobacco products with it – something one councillor said shows ‘a lack of trust in the poor’.

Calling for folk to get a cash payment instead, Labour councillor Malcolm Cunning said he is disappointed that the scheme implies: “we can’t trust the poor to spend their own money without putting restrictions on them that they are not allowed to buy a packet of rolling tobacco.”

He described it as “paternalism in the extreme” and “a 19th century concept” and questioned how it would be enforced at a council meeting today. The Labour group leader said it gives the impression people are seen as “too feckless” to decide what to spend money on.

And while councillors agreed the card should not be used for to buy tobacco, the meeting heard it may not be practically possible to restrict the purchase of tobacco.

Currently there are 184 shops accepting the gift card in Glasgow but there are plans to recruit many more businesses to take part before its roll out

Conservative councillors put forward an amendment saying there should be restrictions on the use of the gift cards “to ensure they cannot be use for the purposes of purchasing tobacco.”

Their amendment also wants officers to look at excluding national chains from the shops participating in the council scheme to boost regional businesses.

The Conservative politicians also called for the card to be used in person or for delivery from local retailers to encourage footfall to neighbourhood shops.

The Conservative amendment was accepted at the City Administration Committee today by SNP leader Susan Aitken.

Councillor Aitken said originally the Conservatives wanted to exclude stop people buying alcohol too but that exemption was removed.

Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Aitken said: “It would be my view that if someone wants to use this (gift card) to go for a meal in a local restaurant they should be able to buy a beer or share a bottle of wine.

“But tobacco is different. As a country we have made a decision that we significantly restrict people’s access to tobacco whether through the smoking ban or advertising restrictions and display.

“People have a right to choose to consume tobacco products if they want to. But as a council when we are providing this money it is entirely appropriate that we follow the public health policies that have been in place in Scotland for many years.”

Reacting to Councillor Cunning’s concerns, Conservative councillor Kyle Thornton accused Labour of not supporting “any kind of restriction on these harms.”

Hitting back at the Labour leader, he said Councillor Cunning “appears to be more right wing” than him in “regards to free markets and “libertarianism.”

Councillor Thornton said: “Most people who use tobacco with the greatest respect do not use it on a one off basis. They are likely to purchase it on a weekly or daily basis.”

He said he hopes the gift card gives people extra assistance and wants the money to be spent within the city.

The Labour amendment to the plan put forward by Councillor Cunning, which was rejected by the majority of politicians, called for cash instead of a card and said anti-poverty campaigners preferred that approach.

Councillor Aitken said the scheme isn’t just about giving households additional spending but also boosting the local economy.

Councillor Cunning also raised concerns about the amount of businesses signed up to the Scotland Love Local Gift Card and questioned how widely accessible they are in different parts of the city. He said Aldi, Semichem, One O One and Boots were among the firms with outlets included currently.

The Scottish Government awarded Glasgow City Council more than £9.4 million Covid Economic Recovery Funding, which will be used to pay for the cards.