Holyrood ‘must tackle childhood poverty’

The Scottish Government needs to take urgent action to stop the equivalent of a classroom of children a day from falling into poverty.

Think tank IP PR Scotland calculated that without new measures being introduced, 50,000 more youngsters will be affected between 2017-18 and 2023-24.

That is the equivalent of 25 children a day entering into relative poverty, it added.

To help tackle the problem, it called on Scottish ministers to bring forward plans to introduce a new family income supplement.

The Scottish Government has already said this is to be brought in in 2022. But IPPR Scotland director Russell Gunson said action should be taken sooner, before the next Holyrood election in May 2021.