Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
TALKING POLITICS Scotland fighting against Tory cuts
Almost £13 million has been paid out to low-income families in the first seven months of the Scottish government’s Best Start Grant scheme.
Families received £6.1 million through the pregnancy and baby payment in this first seven months.
This is huge when compared to just £2 million under the UK government’s sure start maternity grant for the whole of 2017-18.
The Scottish government’s best start grant’s early learning payment and school age payment have paid out £4.3m and £2.4m respectively.
The scheme pays grants to families in receipt of some benefits to help with the expenses of pregnancy and having a baby. Further payments are also made when children start nursery and when they go to school for the first time.
One example of the benefits was a twoyear-old with learning difficulties being given sensory equipment for her to use in the garden.
A new payments card is being introduced by the Scottish government to help low-income families access healthy food; the card is available for pregnant women and families with babies and children who receive certain benefits.
These are examples of the Scottish government’s fight back against poverty. A report in 2017 highlighted that the Tory government’s annual social security spend in Scotland will reduce by a massive £3.9 billion by 2022-23.
North Lanarkshire will be one of the worst- hit areas by these UK cuts. The social think-tank Resolution Foundation predicts a six-per-cent rise in child poverty over 2016-2024.
North Lanarkshire has 24.9 per cent of children in poverty at September 2017; the Scottish average was 21.7 per cent – this is higher than many other European countries.
Airdrie Central is the worst-hit ward with 32.98 per cent; Coatbridge North and Glenboig hits 28.44 per cent; and Airdrie North has 28.33 per cent. These are three of the four worst-hit wards in North Lanarkshire.
Universal Credit is a further blow. State pensions, currently the worst in the developed world, are to be postponed to age 75.
This is life in the Tory UK. But Scotland fights back with the Baby Box and payments to 70,000 households to nullify the bedroom tax.
Moving on to other matters, I was humbled to once again take part in the annual Far East Prisoners of War commemoration at Motherwell Civic Centre.
Campbell Thomson of the Lanarkshire Yeomanry Group and Ian Forsyth of the Royal British Legion addressed the ceremony.
The deaths and deep sufferings of servicemen and women in that particular part of World War II should never be forgotten.