Three-quarters want more action to tackle child poverty, poll suggests

More than three-quarters of people want more action on child poverty from the Scottish Government, a poll has suggested.

A survey for Save the Children and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) of more than 2,000 people found 77% want decision-makers to do more to tackle the issue.

Of those respondents, 89% want the Government to make sure every family has access to affordable and good quality housing, while 86% want an improvement to pay for the lowest earners, and 79% believe parents should have access to good, flexible childcare.

More than three-quarters of respondents also said children are being held back by growing up in poverty.

First Minister John Swinney has put an emphasis on the eradication of child poverty.

Levels of child poverty in Scotland have fallen to the lowest in the UK, but they remain stubbornly high. The Government missed an interim target of 18% of youngsters in relative poverty by the end of 2023-24, with the figure sitting at 22%.

Ahead of next year’s election, the two charities urged all parties to commit to action on poverty.

Claire Telfer, head of Scotland at Save the Children, said families are “struggling”, adding the “alarm is ringing” on the issue.

“A combination of low paid and insecure jobs and high costs means that the economy just isn’t working for too many people in Scotland,” she said.

“Devastating evidence of this is that more than one in five children in Scotland are being held back from achieving their potential because of poverty.

“The alarm is ringing – children are being held back by poverty, and people want change.

“The next Scottish government cannot hit snooze. It’s time to wake up, to invest in children and in a better future for Scotland.”

Chris Birt, the associate director of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the JRF, said: “What we’ve found shows that people are let down by politics and feel overlooked and ignored by politicians.

“It is vital that decision-makers start to rebuild trust by taking action to tackle poverty, by investing in children and families, and in Scotland’s future.

“It’s not too much to ask that everyone should have a warm, affordable home, a decent job that helps pay the bills, and support from public services, including social security, when we need it.

“This is why Scotland is demanding better, because if we make the right decisions today, we can build a better future for us all.”

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “We are absolutely committed to tackling child poverty and our policies are making a meaningful difference to families.

“Child poverty has fallen in Scotland in contrast to the rest of the UK.”

But she added: “Our policies are having to work harder in the current economic context because of decisions taken by the UK Government.

“Through its forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy, the UK Government must do more to ensure that all children and families are able to thrive and must match the ambition of Scottish Government policies in ending child poverty, particularly scrapping the two-child limit.

“The UK Government must also deliver progress towards an Essentials Guarantee, immediately halting planned cuts to the universal credit health element, ending the benefit cap and five-week wait in universal credit, and working with the Scottish Government to build on the progress we have made here in Scotland.”

Ms Somerville continued: “Policies such as the Scottish Child Payment, which we estimate will keep 40,000 children out of relative poverty this year, and the Baby Box, which has already helped at least 350,000 children have the best start in life, will continue to be central to our efforts.

“And the Housing Emergency Action Plan ensures that £808 million will be available for affordable homes in Scotland this year. This includes £80 million this year for councils to acquire family homes now to relieve pressure. It also commits to up to £4.9 billion over the next four years for the delivery of a major affordable homes project.”