ADAMSON: UK MODEL IS FAILING CHILDREN IN POVERTY
Scotland is set to be the only part of the UK to see a decline in child poverty rates thanks to Scotland-only social security policies introduced by the SNP Scottish Government, a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has shown.
Clare Adamson SNP MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw has said that the report shows the need to follow the Scottish model on social security as the UK system is failing children in poverty.
The publication states that Scotland’s child poverty rate will likely fall from 23.7% to 21.8% by January 2029, thanks to SNP policies like the unique Scottish Child Payment, and mitigating the Labour UK Government’s two-child benefit cap.
Ms Adamson said:
“The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is a leading anti-poverty charity. This new research shows the difference in policymaking as child poverty levels are expected to decline in Scotland but rise in the rest of the UK.
“We have much work to do to address the root causes of child poverty but SNP policies like the unique Scottish Child Payment are making a measurable impact.
“I have been dismayed to see the Labour UK Government fall into the same old Tory rhetoric of ‘making work pay’. This report makes it clear that economic and employment growth alone will not be enough to reduce poverty levels.
"The First Minister John Swinney has made eradicating child poverty the defining mission of his SNP Scottish Government.
“It is encouraging that the actions we are taking in Scotland are making real progress but we do not have all of the powers we need to go further. The Labour Government has to wake up to the reality facing households and young people because UK policies are failing children in poverty.
“We need targeted UK policy focused on raising living standards and supporting people on low and insecure incomes. Where we have the powers, we have built a Scottish social security system based on the principles of dignity, fairness, and respect.”
A link to the report can be found here: https://www.jrf.org.uk/work/economic-and-employment-growth-alone-will-not-be-enough-to-reduce-poverty-levels
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