Radical action needed to tackle ‘deepening’ poverty

Radical action is needed if Scotland is to avoid missing child poverty reduction targets by a “large margin”, according to a new report.

Analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found that around a quarter of children (23 per cent) in Scotland remain in poverty, despite some signs the Scottish Child Payment is starting to have an impact.

The JRF is calling on all parties standing in next year’s election to increase social security spending and expand free nursery places for low-income households.

Chris Birt, JRF associate director for Scotland, said: “This report shows the results of today’s failures on tackling poverty, but there is so much we can do to make things better, if our politicians have the courage to act boldly.

“With nearly a quarter of a million children still experiencing poverty, there is much to be done to ensure that every child in Scotland has the childhood they deserve.” 

First Minister John Swinney has made tackling child poverty one of his top priorities as he prepares to take the SNP into next year’s Holyrood election.

Under legislation introduced 2017 there is a target to cut child poverty to 18 per cent by 2024/25 and to 10 per cent by 2030/31.

But the Poverty in Scotland 2025 report said: “The Scottish Government has not met the interim child poverty reduction targets and remains far from the 2030/31 final targets.”

It adds that unless something radical changes, “the Scottish Parliament will miss its child poverty reduction target by a large margin”.

And it warns that poverty is deepening across Scotland, with nearly one in 10 people in very deep poverty.

According to the JRF, there are 4.3 million children living in poverty across the UK, with the rate in England (30 per cent) and Wales (29 per cent) higher than in Scotland. 

First introduced in 2021, the Scottish Child Payment currently stands at £27.15 a week and can be claimed for every child a family has under the age of 16.

Statistics published earlier this year showed the number of children living in both absolute and relative poverty decreasing in Scotland, although the numbers fell short of the interim targets.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly called on its UK counterpart to scrap the two-child cap, which limits benefits paid to families. While the SNP is preparing to scrap the cap in Scotland, there are some suggestions Chancellor Rachel Reeves could announce the measure in next month’s Budget.

The first minister said the government was committed to putting “more money in people’s pockets” through policies such as the Scottish Child Payment, free bus travel, and more than £6,000 in early learning and childcare support for each eligible child

He said: “Tackling child poverty is this government’s defining mission and our determination is backed up by a commitment to put more money in people’s pockets and deliver real savings to support families.

“There are fewer children in poverty in Scotland than the rest of the UK because we have made bold policy choices backed by an unwavering resolve. 

“The UK Government, if it is serious about tackling poverty, must match our ambition and, at the very least, fully scrap the two-child limit so that a generation of children don’t have their opportunities limited by inaction.”