Hat local politicians have to say

MP for n and West, said: meful ect the y of nine ry austerity with over a SNP lism. losely with banks and I rals have cally. ays give y, but the e has to rely ank in 2019 ful. nt must verse cuts to dgets and our’s policy nimum extend it to der 18. ttish nt must stop standing idly by and start making full use of the powers available to it to end this injustice.

“One of the last Labour government’s greatest achievements was lifting over one million children out of poverty, but that progress has been reversed at the hands of the Tories and the SNP. What Scotland urgently needs is Labour governments at Westminster and Holyrood who will prioritise ending the scourge of child poverty once and for all.” Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, said: “These figures are very concerning, and it is why the SNP Scottish Government is addressing child poverty as a priority.

“By 2021, the Scottish Government will double the number of hours of free early years education and childcare to 30 hours a week – saving families more than £4,500 per child, per year.

“We introduced Scotland’s Baby Box and the Best Start Grant which pays eligible families £600 on the birth of their first child and £300 for subsequent children, provides £250 to help with the costs of early learning, and from next month, £250 to prepare for school.

“All children in primaries one to three now benefit from free school meals, saving families around £380 per child, per year, but in South Lanarkshire, Labour and the Tories blocked the SNP expanding this to primaries four and five.

“Child poverty in Scotland is too high, but with the limited powers we have and in face of Tory cuts, it is lower than Tory-led England and Labour run Wales, but we’re still taking steps to do more.” James Kelly, list MSP for Glasgow, said:“These figures are shameful.

“In the past five years we have seen three foodbanks open in Rutherglen and Cambuslang, with the number of families reliant on this support soaring, with over 2000 parcels going out to local people, including 647 children between May and September 2018.

“This new research is further evidence that the situation is not improving here, or in fact across Glasgow.

“Meanwhile, we have the SNP government peddling the case for independence in Holyrood while neglecting to use the powers of our devolved administration to reverse these figures by increasing child benefit by £5 per week.”

He added:“It is time that Nicola Sturgeon puts her priorities in order, only a Labour government will put an end to austerity and give our children the best start in life.”