“Child poverty is going the wrong way,” explains Jackie Baillie MSP, Scottish Labour Deputy Leader. In the 14 years of the Conservative party in power, ‘the thing that we’ve been missing,’ she explains, “is that constructive, intergovernmental plan that crosses all departments.”
A step in the right direction by the new Labour government has been the launch of the cross-government Child Poverty Task Force. Its role will be to investigate why, compared to 2010, there are now 700,000 more children living in poverty in the UK. Based on its findings, a Child Poverty Strategy is set to be published in spring 2025.
Baillie believes that cooperation between governments can make a significant difference in tackling poverty. “The opportunity to collaborate now is huge,” she observes, adding “I want to see collaboration between governments because they both pull different levers to work together… I hope the SNP government seizes it with both hands.”
Photo: Jackie Baillie MSP
Upon assuming his role as First Minister, John Swinney vowed to make eradicating poverty the “single most important objective.” He asserted that his Cabinet would do everything in its power, “including listening to and working with members across the chamber.”
Reducing child poverty to 10 per cent by 2030 is a tough challenge that the Scottish Government has set for itself. Currently, 24 per cent of children in Scotland live below the relative poverty line, which is defined as household income being less than 60 per cent of the UK median income. As the Centre for Civic Innovation (CCI) explains in its Child Poverty in Glasgow 2024 report, this is £523.20 per week for a family with two adults and two children under 14. CCI estimates that, in Glasgow, there are 24,419 children living in poverty, and on average, they are £126 per week below the poverty line.
Introduced in 2021, the Scottish Child Payment, currently £26.70 a week for every qualifying child, effectively reduces child poverty rates. However, it is not enough to address the full scale of child poverty in Scotland, and a holistic approach is needed.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics reveal that, in Glasgow alone, there are 33,508 children in poverty. For the Scottish Government to reduce this to 10 per cent, Glasgow will need to see 23,665 children lifted above the poverty line.
As stated in Shelter Scotland and Aberlour’s joint report: “If the Scottish Government are serious about their plans to eradicate child poverty, they must make social housing delivery a bigger priority.” The Scottish Government’s Poverty and Inequality data shows that, after housing costs, 24 per cent of children are living below the relative poverty line, whereas before housing costs, that number is significantly lower, at 19 per cent – meaning high housing costs push 50,000 children into poverty.
Shelter and Aberlour’s report urges more social housing to be built, and at a faster rate. Due to cuts to the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, local authorities lack funds to build affordable homes, and are having to “put people into temporary accommodation, such as bed and breakfast or hotel rooms,” explains Baillie. “It is not suitable for anybody to sustain themselves. Certainly not suitable for children,” she adds. There are 10,000 children trapped in temporary accommodation, desperately in need of a safe home.
Reducing poverty to 10 per cent is a challenging target— not an impossible one, but it requires bold, wide-ranging actions if we are to see a notable reduction in child poverty. ’‘I am never, ever complacent. I’ve been too long in Scottish politics to be complacent. So, for me, it’s the opportunity,’ asserts Baillie. “In Scotland, internally, the Labour Party has pulled together a panel of people to advise us, and that work is being led by my colleague, Paul O’Kane,” she adds. Hopeful and ready to act, Baillie advises “Let’s look at what works, that we know works, and let’s do it… You need to do it not in isolation; you need to do it as part of a whole plan.”
A fund aimed at single parents is among the initiatives she would like to see implemented. It is, as she notes, “the one thing that worked, really, really well.” It was a £10 million fund set up to help single parents with whatever needs they had— “whether it’s training, whether it’s childcare, whether it’s lessons to drive a car that helps you get into employment, we will provide.” She emphasises that it ‘transformed the experience of those single parents, lifted them and their children out of poverty, and didn’t cost a lot of money.’
With child poverty increasing over recent years, one may have little faith in change. However, with a new government, there is a bit of hope that, through open conversation and cooperation, policies that will lift children out of poverty can be introduced to give them the opportunities in life they deserve
Hi, I’m Julia Braun Raven, a second-year Journalism, Media & Creative Writing student. I’m co-Editor-in-Chief and Features Editor, and I love creating stories that matter to students, inspiring them, supporting what they’re passionate about, and celebrating their achievements. I’m especially interested in arts, culture, and student life, and I enjoy bringing energy, curiosity, and a love of storytelling to every piece I work on.
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