SNP ‘failing’ to prioritise child poverty

Thousands of Scottish children have been lifted out of poverty in the past year, official figures have shown.
It is feared 15,000 Scottish youngsters will be plunged below the breadline in the years ahead as a result of UK welfare reforms. Picture: GettyIt is feared 15,000 Scottish youngsters will be plunged below the breadline in the years ahead as a result of UK welfare reforms. Picture: Getty
It is feared 15,000 Scottish youngsters will be plunged below the breadline in the years ahead as a result of UK welfare reforms. Picture: Getty

But campaigners are warning of massive increases in the amount of children living below the breadline in years ahead as the UK welfare reforms start to bite.

The Scottish Government is facing calls to show it is ready to tackle the looming problem, but has also been accused of “failing” to prioritise child poverty, with Labour claiming any reduction is down to the prevailing economic conditions.

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About 10,000 youngsters were also lifted out of absolute poverty, where families fall below the level needed to afford things such as food, clothing, shelter and medical care, a fall of 1 per cent to 16 per cent, according to an official Scottish Government report yesterday.

In addition, 20,000 Scottish children were lifted out of relative poverty in 2011-12 from the year before, a fall of 2 per cent to 15 per cent. Relative poverty refers to lower income levels compared to the average standards of living. There are now 150,000 young people in this category. This continues the decrease in the rate of relative child poverty in Scotland, with a decrease from 20 per cent in 2009-10 to the current 15 per cent.

But it is feared that up to 15,000 Scottish youngsters will be plunged below the breadline in the years ahead as a result of UK welfare reforms, as a result of which any rise in benefits is capped at 1 per cent annually instead of going up in line with inflation.

John Dickie, head of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, welcomed the fall, along with investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund, council tax support and income support measures set out in the report.

But he warned: “With massive increases in child poverty now forecast, it is absolutely critical that government in Scotland moves beyond describing existing policies and sets out how actions that can be shown to reduce child poverty are ratcheted up and rolled out across the whole country.”

About 40,000 fewer children are also living in what is defined as combined material deprivation and low income.

This fell from 12 per cent to 8 per cent in 2011-12 and is now down to 80,000.

The Scottish Government says investment of £272 million in the Early Years Change in collaboration with councils and the NHS is addressing the situation, while more than £125m across government and its agencies is being targeted at helping young people into work.

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But Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We know that the UK government’s welfare reforms are already having a significant impact on Scotland’s children, with further damaging changes still to take effect.

“The reforms include changes to child tax credits and working tax credits which primarily affect couples with children who will, on average, be £700 a year worse-off.”

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has estimated that by 2020, once all the UK Government’s welfare changes have come into

effect, there will be around 50,000 more children living in poverty in Scotland than in 2011.