Allan Lyons Joins Challenge Poverty Week Calls for Action in South Lanarkshire

Reform UK candidate Allan Lyons has lent his voice to Challenge Poverty Week activities taking place across South Lanarkshire, calling for a more ambitious and effective approach to tackling the root causes of poverty across the Rutherglen constituency.

South Lanarkshire Council has highlighted the importance of community networking events and collaborative working to address poverty as part of its engagement with Challenge Poverty Week 2025. Allan says he fully supports these efforts while calling for a more fundamental reform of the policies that drive poverty in the first place.

'Poverty in a constituency as connected and resourced as Rutherglen and Cambuslang is not inevitable — it is a policy failure,' said Allan. 'And fixing it means more than holding events. It means cutting taxes on low earners, building more affordable homes, getting waiting times down so people do not lose jobs because of illness, and making sure the benefits system actually supports people to get back on their feet.'

Allan welcomed South Lanarkshire Council's partnership approach to reducing inequalities but said it needs to be underpinned by a genuine commitment from the Scottish Government to address the structural causes of deprivation.

'Reform UK is the party of working people and those who are trying to get on. We will fight poverty with practical policies, not platitudes,' he said.