Charity warns of ‘increasing disconnect’ over Scottish Government poverty action

There is an “increasing disconnect” between Scottish Government rhetoric on child poverty and the reality for families, a new report claims.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found one in five children live in poverty and “much bolder” action is required to tackle the problem.

First Minister John Swinney named child poverty as “number one priority” on coming to office and has vowed to “eradicate” it.

The Scottish Parliament passed legally binding targets on the matter in 2017, which holds ministers to reduce relative child poverty to below 10 per cent by 2030-31.

However, research has cast doubt over whether this can be achieved and in its new paper, titled Poverty in Scotland 2026, JRF said the goal will be missed without “radical change”.

The figure averaged 21 per cent between 2022 to 2025, the charity found, which is below the UK average of 28 per cent.

Overall, 940,000 people in Scotland are said to be in relative poverty.

The charity has called for new targets to be set and warned of widespread dissatisfaction with council services, saying there should be better quality and more joined-up local services to support families in or at risk of poverty.

The report stated: “We have consistently heard the first minister describe eradicating poverty as his defining mission.

“This commitment is welcome, but there is an increasing disconnect between the Scottish Government’s rhetoric and the reality of life for families in poverty across Scotland.”

Chris Birt, JRF associate director for Scotland, said: “There is a risk that public service reform and the review of the child poverty reduction targets could distract us from the glaring need to improve the lives of children in Scotland.

“But that doesn’t need to be the choice. The Scottish Government can and should choose for its actions to meet its rhetoric.

“Significant action is required – on housing, work, and social security in particular – to make progress on reducing poverty and building the country we all want to see.

“We are on course to miss the legally binding targets by miles, but parliament can choose to up the ante and provide challenging new targets that reenergise government efforts.

“Our report shows that reform of local government probably should be on the table, but it must be designed to make services work better for families in poverty, not just to save money.

“With people feeling overlooked and ignored by politicians, and shocking numbers of children still growing up in poverty, we must take action now and choose a future where all of our children can flourish.”

Social security secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said the Scottish Government is “committing around £3.5bn to policies that tackle poverty and the cost of living” this year.

She said poverty alleviation was a factor in plans for public sector reform, saying: “The time to go further is now.

“That means changing how services work together, ensuring they are joined up and designed around need, so that families can get the right support, at the right time and in the right place.”