Child Poverty Taskforce meets in Scotland

The Child Poverty Taskforce has met for the first time in Scotland.

The Taskforce is working on plans for an ambitious, cross-Government strategy to drive down child poverty and ministers heard from families, public bodies and charities.

The summit comes after the budget which included a new ‘Fair Repayment Rate’ in Universal Credit, from which Scotland's poorest households will benefit by £420 a year.

More than 200,000 children live in poverty in Scotland, with over 33,000 in Glasgow City.

Work and pensions secretary and co-chair of the Taskforce Liz Kendall MP said: “Tackling child poverty is a priority for the UK Government, and a personal priority for me.

“It is a moral stain on this country that there are now over 4 million children in the UK living in poverty, including 200,000 in Scotland.

“That is why the work of our Child Poverty Taskforce is so urgent. We will look at all the levers available at our disposal across Government to drive down poverty and drive-up opportunity for children and families in every corner of the UK.

“Scottish families and organisations are at the heart of our ambitious plans. The experiences and ideas they shared today are critical to our work to give all children in Scotland – and across the UK – the very best start in life.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland Kirsty McNeill: “Hearing such stark and painful accounts from families about their daily struggles has been hugely humbling but a vitally important reminder about why we must and will reduce child poverty across the whole of the UK.
“It’s a national shame that more than 200,000 children are living in poverty in Scotland. We are taking action - the UK Budget progressed our commitment to transforming the lives of Scottish children facing poverty, and we’re making work pay to improve living standards by raising the minimum wage and making the biggest improvements to workers’ rights in a generation.

“But we know there’s much more to be done and the testimonies of these families is key in shaping our next steps. By joining together with the Scottish Government and with other agencies and charities we will work to boost incomes, improve financial resilience and ensure better local support.”