Child poverty is like being in a Dickens novel
It’s scarcely believable that amid child poverty we have politicians whose priority is tax cuts
They are figures which should shame any "civilised" society - nearly a quarter of all children
- that's 240,000 kids in Scotland - living in poverty.
Official statistics published last week suggest that child poverty in Scotland is "broadly stable" - although the latest annual figure was up on the year before but it is rising across the UK.
After listening to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt telling Laura Kuenssberg the economy was "turning a corner", Armando Iannucci, creator of The Thick of It, responded: "This is the very week that the poverty report came out, saying that child poverty has gone up yet again. It's almost like we're in a Dickens novel rather than the sixth biggest economy in the world, saying there's now 3.6 million children in poverty - so for every average class of 30, nine are in poverty." And Mary Glasgow of Scottish charity Children 1st, spelled out what child poverty actually means: "parents not having eaten for days or living on toast because they prioritise food for their children; shocking levels of coldness; not having enough bedding; children not having shoes; families overwhelmed by debt".
The "good" news is that it could have been worse. The Scottish Child Payment, introduced in 2019 and now paid at £25 a week, seems to be making a real difference to families. And the Scottish Government claims recently published analysis estimates that 100,000 children will be kept out of poverty in 2024/25 as a direct result of the payment and other policies.
The government has committed to reduce child poverty to 10 per cent by 2030, with an interim target of 18 per cent by next year. And it insists it is doing "everything in our power and limited budget" to tackle the problem.
But groups like the Child Poverty Action Group make it clear more still needs to be done. John Dickie, the director of the CPAG in Scotland, says the latest statistics are "scandalous" and "utterly unacceptable" and a stark reminder of how vital it is that the Scottish Government "ratchets up" its focus on child poverty.
He wants ministers to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £30 per week, rethink cuts to affordable housing and ensure childcare and employment support are adequately funded. And the UK Government should lift the two-child benefit cap. It's scarcely believable that we have politicians whose priority is tax cuts.