Anti-poverty activists urge ministers to pay out new benefit cash

The Child Payment benefit must be rolled out at speed as the Covid-19 jobs crisis throws even more Renfrewshire families into crippling poverty, campaigners have said.

The benefit, proposed by the Scottish Government, would give low- income households £10 for each child every week.

It was due to start next year but with unemployment in Renfrewshire increasing by 88 per cent since the start of the pandemic in March, anti-poverty activists say local families need the money now.

Dan Lockyer, of Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau, said the organisation has been inundated with calls for help from people who have lost their job and need support to access benefits for the first time.

“We would be very keen to see the Child Payment introduced as soon as possible,” Dan told the Express.

“We support all measures that reduce child poverty levels, which have been growing in Renfrewshire for years, particularly as a result of welfare reform.

“UK child poverty levels were recorded at 30 per cent of children a year ago and 44 per cent of children in lone parent families.

“We won’t get figures which cover the current crisis until next year, but we are certain that the figure for Renfrewshire has significantly increased with the staggering increase in Universal Credit applications for this area, and growing redundancy and unemployment.”

Calls to introduce the Scottish Social Security benefit immediately have also been made by the child poverty charity, Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

It has urged the government to bring forward feasible options to pay £10 per week to each eligible child for a six-month period to help families pull through the economic storm.

The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Bruce Adamson has also urged ministers to tackle food insecurity with the Child Payment, or a single £20 per week payment for low-income families until the benefit can be introduced.

Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland said the payment was urgently needed to allow those who have lost their jobs are able to feed their families.

The Labour politician said: “More and more families across Scotland are facing financial hardship, but the SNP government are failing to provide the direct and immediate support needed.

“While the forthcoming Scottish Child Payment has been welcomed, it will not start to reach families until 2021, but so many families need help right now.

“Anti-poverty organisations from across Scotland have repeatedly called for the Scottish Government to bring forward a payment equivalent to the SCP as soon as possible.

“The Scottish Government has both the ability and moral obligation to do this.”

A spokesman for the government said: “We recognise that this is a difficult time for many families and more people are facing financial insecurity from the economic impacts of coronavirus.

“This is why we are prioritising the introduction of the new Scottish Child Payment which will tackle child poverty head on and we have already stated that it will open to applications by the end of the year.”

He added: “Since the start of the pandemic we have provided over £110 million to tackle food insecurity, including the provision of free school meals and alternatives for 175,000 children and young people during the summer holidays.

“We are also taking action to support people into employment with a £100 million package to help those looking for work or at risk of redundancy, including a job guarantee for young people and a new national retraining scheme.”

The spokesman also said the UK Government must match its efforts to support low income families given the vast majority of benefits are still managed at Westminster,