John Swinney will place tackling child poverty front and centre of his first programme for government.

First Minister John Swinney will use his first Programme for Government to hone in on his “single greatest priority of eradicating child poverty” - amid warnings that progress will be held back by wider austerity to public services.

But campaigners have stressed Mr Swinney’s ambition will fall flat without extra investment in housing, benefits and childcare, amid concerns “the scale and pace of action is not yet nearly enough to meet statutory child poverty targets, never mind eradicate child poverty altogether”.

The alarm comes after SNP finance secretary Shona Robison yesterday confirmed £500 million of public funding cuts to balance this year’s budget. Ms Robison has squarely laid the blame on the Labour UK government over what SNP ministers claim is a continuation of austerity under the Conservatives at Westminster.

Included in the spending cuts is £200,000 being saved from early learning and childcare budgets along with £7m in Social Security Scotland workforce savings, almost £2m in other social security services and £5m from the “change in delivery of pension age winter heating payment”. That is alongside the £160m of winter fuel payment cuts the SNP has previously announced, potentially hampering the child poverty ambitions.

Mr Swinney will this afternoon set out the legislation he intends to push through Holyrood over the next 12 months, pledging support for “the whole family” to lift people out of poverty. But the Programme for Government is expected to be a slimmed down version of what MSPs are used to expecting.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes told The Scotsman’s The Steamie podcast the Programme for Government “won’t be a long document full of maybes and wish lists”, adding “it will be clear, it will be punchy and it will be directed at what we hear to be the public’s priorities”.

Asked whether the Programme for Government (PfG) would be flimsy, a spokesperson for the First Minister, said: “The First Minister's given four very clear priorities for government.

“They will obviously feature heavily in the PfG. He’s very keen on action and progress in those four priorities.”

Mr Swinney will focus on ending child poverty, as well as growing the economy, tackling the climate crisis and improving public services - four key aims that cut across all departments of the Scottish Government.

Speaking ahead of delivering his first PfG, the First Minister said: “No one’s opportunities should be determined by the circumstances they are born into, which is why this year’s programme for government will prioritise measures focused on our single greatest priority of eradicating child poverty.

“To do this, we will support the whole family in ensuring they can access the help they need, when they need it. We already have a strong track record of improving the lives of children across Scotland, including through our game-changing Scottish Child Payment and expansion of early learning and childcare. This Government’s policies are estimated to keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year.”

Mr Swinney added: “The Child Poverty Action Group has also estimated that low-income families in Scotland will be around £28,000 better off by the time their child turns 18, compared to families across the UK, as a result of actions taken by this Government.

“These provide strong foundations for this year’s Programme for Government, but we are determined to go further. Even as we face unprecedented budgetary constraint, I am optimistic that we can still greatly enhance the lives of children and their families.

“We also know that investment in public services, growing our economy and tackling climate change all contribute to improving lives and livelihoods.

“That is why this Programme for Government is also focused on delivering the right care in the right place, prioritising the development of renewable energy to reach net zero and working with businesses to grow a stronger and more inclusive economy.”

Campaigners have warned that child poverty targets will not be met unless the Scottish Government ramps up action

But the Child Poverty Action Group has warned that without public services being properly funded, the Scottish Government’s ambition to eradicate child poverty will fall flat.

While praising SNP ministers for bringing forward the Scottish Child Payment, the organisation has warned the Government needs to dramatically ramp up the pace of action.

John Dickie, the director of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said: “The Scottish Government’s current approach to child poverty is working – the Scottish Child Payment alone is lifting between 40,000 and 60,000 children out of poverty.

“But the scale and pace of action is not yet nearly enough to meet statutory child poverty targets, never mind eradicate child poverty altogether. That’s why it is absolutely right that the First Minister makes child poverty the number one priority for his Programme for Government”.

He added: “But the tough reality facing the Government is that there is no credible route to eradicating child poverty that doesn’t involve further investment in social security, childcare, affordable family housing and support for parents to access decent jobs.

“More can be done to reform public services so that hard up families can access them, but those services need to be available and adequately funded in the first place.”

Mr Dickie acknowledged “Scotland may face fiscal challenges”, but stressed “we are a rich country”.

He said: “With pressure on public finances so tight, the First Minister also needs to look at making further use of devolved tax powers to harness the undoubted wealth the country has to deliver on his child poverty promises.

“The UK government also needs to step up to the plate and use the levers at its disposal to stem rising UK wide child poverty, starting with the scrapping of the two-child limit in the UK benefit system. We need both governments to work together to end the scandal of child poverty in a rich country.”

Why £500m in spending cuts threatens John Swinney and the SNP's child poverty strategy

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