THE SCOTTISH Government has urged the UK Labour Government to match its latest commitment to tackling child poverty, as new measures are announced to keep 100,000 children in Scotland out of poverty.
The call comes after Cabinet Secretary for Social Security Shirley-Anne Somerville announced new measures to reduce child poverty at Holyrood on Thursday, March 12.
The new measures form part of the Scottish Government’s wider strategy to meet their child poverty reduction targets.
The Scottish Government has now called on the UK Labour Government to match their latest commitment.
MSP Collette Stevenson said the Scottish Government was making “significant progress” but argued Westminster policies were limiting further progress.
She said: “Scotland has the lowest child poverty rates on these islands with 90,000 fewer children in poverty – that’s thanks to the actions of the SNP in government and John Swinney’s relentless focus on eradicating child poverty."
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The MSP for East Kilbride continued: “We have made significant progress, but even one child growing up in poverty is one child too many – that’s why we are going even further with plans to keep 100,000 children out of poverty next year.
“The fact is that our work is being undermined by Westminster, with the policies of successive Tory and Labour governments having trapped Scottish kids into a cycle of poverty.”
The new plan includes a range of measures aimed at supporting families and helping parents access employment and training opportunities.
Among the measures announced are a £20 million Whole Family Support Delivery Fund, designed to create a national point of access for charities supporting families across Scotland.
The package also includes £9 million in Discretionary Housing Payments to mitigate the impact of the UK Government’s freeze on Local Housing Allowance rates, alongside a £15 million childcare priority package and £19 million to help parents access training and employability support.
Analysis carried out in the House of Commons has suggested that if policies introduced by the Scottish Government were replicated across the UK, an additional 1.1 million children and 1.8 million adults could be lifted out of poverty.
Stevenson said the UK Government should match a number of Scottish policies, including abolishing the bedroom tax, removing the benefit cap, ending the five-week wait for Universal Credit, and scrapping the Young Parent Penalty.
She also called for Labour to introduce an Essentials Guarantee, match Scotland’s Scottish Child Payment, review Universal Credit and unfreeze Local Housing Allowance rates so they meet at least the 30th percentile of local rents.
Stevenson added: “By matching SNP action across the UK, Keir Starmer could lift over a million children out of poverty tomorrow – we have set the example and it is now on the Labour Party to follow.
“Rather than mitigating the damage of Westminster, through a fresh start with independence we will be equipped with the power to build a fairer and wealthier Scotland anew – that is the future on offer and it can only be won through a vote for the SNP in May.”
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