Call for action after data shows increase in child poverty

Demands have been made for the new Scottish parliament to tackle child poverty.

A call from Green MSP Ariane Burgess follows figures from the End Child Poverty coalition showing a 2.5 per cent child poverty increase in Shetland over five years.

Last month it emerged almost 400 food packages had been given to under-16s by Shetland Foodbank over 12 months.

Ms Burgess said: “Scotland was already on track to miss child poverty targets before the pandemic arrived, a crisis that has inflicted additional hardship on those who were already struggling to get by.

“Measures like free bus travel for young people, pandemic relief payments, and free school meals for all primary school children, already won by Green MSPs as part of a budget agreement, will be of huge benefit to families across the Shetland Islands.

“There was cross party agreement during the recent election campaign that the Scottish Child Payment should be doubled. All parties agreed that tackling child poverty was a priority.”