People with inadequate income are doubly penalised. Not only do they have less money coming into the house, but they also have proportionally higher costs going out. People in disadvantaged communities spend proportionally more money on goods and services than those in more affluent areas. For example, a damp, draughty house is much more expensive to heat than a dry, well-insulated one. An important consequence of low income and relatively high costs is that very little money is left to resource participation in community life.
Poverty also lies at the heart of other barriers to inclusion.
For example, many disabled people have to deal with the hidden costs of impairment, emanating from the disabling barriers society imposes, such as a lack of affordable, accessible transport and a lack of opportunities in the labour market. These barriers exacerbate people's low economic status and exclude people from effectively participating in community life. The move towards genuinely inclusive communities in Scotland will require fundamental shifts in attitudes and operations of Scottish institutions and organisations. It will also require a major restructuring of power relationships in society as well as mechanisms, at a national level, to address and monitor social and economic legislation that affects income adequacy. While taxation, welfare benefits and the minimum wage are 'reserved powers', these policies and their implementation have a direct impact on the potential for inclusive communities.