Jackie Baillie has given her backing to Scottish Labour’s new Child Poverty Commission which aims to eradicate child poverty altogether.

West Dunbartonshire is one of the worst hit areas in Scotland for child poverty and this new Commission bids to give young people here a brighter future.

It will be co-chaired by Chris Birt, who leads the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s work in Scotland, and Scottish Labour’s Social Justice and Social Security spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy.

Scottish Labour has also published their new report on Child Poverty, which sets out the action needed to reach Scotland’s interim 2023/24 targets, including doubling again the Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week and uprating Best Start Grants.

The new Commission will be tasked with looking beyond the interim targets and developing proposals on how we can meet the final 2030/31 target and eradicate child poverty altogether.

There are currently more than 4000 children living in poverty in West Dunbartonshire – the fourth worst rate in Scotland.

Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie said: “Every young person in Scotland deserves a fair start in life – but almost one in four children are living in poverty, including more than 4000 here in West Dunbartonshire.

“Tackling child poverty is a moral duty and a defining mission for us all.

“It would be a historic failure in political leadership if we fall short of the targets this Parliament set and fail to transform these lives – but that is exactly where we are heading under this SNP government.

“We must use everything in our power to fight child poverty and meet our legal and moral obligations to the next generation who have suffered greatly during the pandemic and over the last 15 years under the SNP.

“That’s why we are proud to launch our new Child Poverty Commission to develop real plans to tackle child poverty once and for all.”