‘Urgent’ need for new child benefit
An alternative for a delayed child payment should be urgently put in place by the Scottish Government, Labour has said.
Ahead of the announcement of the programme for government tomorrow, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said an alternative should be found for the Scottish child payment – which was due to be introduced this year but has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic – before its rollout date in February next year.
Under the scheme, eligible parents will receive £10 p er child under six years old per week.
Mr Leonard has joined poverty campaigners calling on the Scottish Government to address what he describes as the “ticking time bomb that is child poverty” expected after the UK Government’ s furlough scheme is brought to an end in October.
The Labour leader said: “We cannot afford to wait until February next year to deliver this vital support.
“The Scottish Government has said that the pandemic has made the implementation of the payment difficult, but it is the pandemic which has made the payment more urgent and important than ever.
“The Scottish Government must wake up to the ticking time bomb that is child poverty and bring forward an equivalent to its payment in this week’ s programme for government. Families need cash now.”
Mr Leonard’s calls echo those already made by End Child Poverty – a coalition of 70 UK charities, faith groups unions and other organisations – which pushed for an alternative to immediately be put in place to supple - ment incomes before the first payments are made next year.
The Scottish Lib De ms called for a reversal to the delay of the entitlement to 1,140 hours of childcare, support for local areas forced back into lockdowns by out breaks, a mental health recovery plan, testing for international students coming to study in Scotland and support for people who are not covered by existing coronavirus schemes.