Conservative incompetence is driving child poverty
Mahatma Gandhi said “if we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”
These are words best considered more often than not. During this cost-of-living crisis, these words are best considered at the forefront of every policy decision made. And, these words are at the forefront of my mind when working in my capacity as the MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.
The cost-of-living crisis has created a context in which every political and economic decision is judged against an ability to mitigate the effects of high inflation. High inflation, in part caused by the UK Government’s economic incompetence, has pushed more and more people into poverty, with people unable to pay bills, unable to heat their homes, or even afford to stay in them.
The impact of this round of high inflation is hitting the poorest the hardest. Those on the borders of poverty are now in poverty, and those already impoverished have been pushed even further.
Poverty is a term which is used often. The Scottish Government has rightly been working to end child poverty and has made strides in doing so via the implementation of a large cache of policies directly aimed to combat the unequal impact of high inflation.
But the constant mention of poverty dilutes the connotations of the word when heard by the average constituent. It is important to remind ourselves of what poverty looks and feels like. It is the choice between feeding a child or keeping them warm through the night. It is the choice between taking the bus to go to work or using your bus fare to feed your dog. It is the choice between living and dying.
Therefore, bold action needs to be taken.
The Scottish Government is offering free school lunches during term-time to pupils in primaries 1 to 5 as part of the most generous free school meal offer in the UK – saving families on average £400 per child, per year.
There have been significant increases to both the Fuel and Food Insecurity Funds, as well and the Scottish Welfare Fund has been maintained. In fact, the Fuel Insecurity Fund has been tripled to £30m to support anyone at risk of self-disconnection or self-rationing their energy use.
The introduction of the Scottish Child Payment has been described as a game changer. The payment itself has increased by 150% since its inception, proving that the Scottish Government will make real-time decisions to mitigate evolving economic pressures.
The Scottish Child Payment isn’t just a drop in a pond, either. The Scottish Fiscal Commission forecasts that around 387,000 children will be eligible for the payment in 2023/24. Modelling suggests that this is estimated to lift 50,000 children out of poverty.
These are just some of the many policies introduced by the Scottish Government. In total, £5.2bn is being spent on social security in Scotland, which is £776m above the level of funding from the United Kingdom through the Block Grant adjustments. This has to be achieved in a relatively fixed budget, with extremely limited borrowing powers.
Which is why the Scottish Government has committed to maintaining the Discretionary Housing Payment through this coming financial year, totaling a value of £41m.
I understand that when talking about such a serious matter as child poverty, there is a need to focus primarily on the efficacy of the policy. I wish to make clear that any policy which truly helps lift a child out of poverty is one that I, by its very nature, wish to support.
Instead, I have mentioned these policies to shed light on the fact that political and economic decisions can be made to inform the progress of a cause, or to eradicate an issue, if there is an equal or more powerful desire to overcome a socio-economic issue.
To eradicate child poverty is to enhance the prosperity of a nation in the long-term, and if there was collective global action, we would enhance the prosperity of the world in the decades to come.
Christina McKelvie writes in her capacity as the MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.
Christina McKelvie is the Scottish National Party MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.
