Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton Constituency, has backed the End Child Poverty Coalition’s joint letter to the First Minister which called for an immediate doubling of the Scottish Child Payment.

Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions shows that relative child poverty in West Dunbartonshire has risen from 2,549 in 2015 to 3,445. Similarly, children living in absolute poverty in the area has risen from 2,565 to 2,836 from 2015 to 2020.

Jackie Baillie MSP said:

“The fact that almost 1,000 more local children have been plunged into relative poverty over the course of five short years is a cause for serious concern.

“Not only are we set to miss our child poverty targets, but we are on track to undo all the progress made tackling child poverty under the last Labour government.

“Once again the gulf between the Scottish Government’s rhetoric and their action is staggering. Just yesterday they launched the Minimum Income Guarantee steering group, but doubling the SCP now is a crucial change that could take so many towards that and they’re dragging their feet.

“Every year that this vital increase is delayed is another year of families missing out – there is no time to waste.

“We have the powers to deal with this injustice in Scotland – all that is missing is the political will.

“In the election Scottish Labour pledged to double this payment immediately. We will continue to demand the government to do the right thing and get this money to those who so urgently need it.”