PA MediaJohn Swinney has been warned of the “increasing disconnect” between his words and his actions on child poverty, as the Government looks set to miss legally-binding targets on the issue “by miles”.
In a highly critical report, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said a “shocking” 21% of children are growing up in poverty despite the First Minister’s defining promise to eradicate it.
The Poverty in Scotland 2026 report warned that without “radical change”, Scotland will miss its legally binding target to cut relative child poverty to below 10% by 2030/31 by a “wide margin”.
The Scottish Government previously missed its legal targets for 2023-2024, although the child poverty rate did fall.
The JRF said ministers need a much bolder plan to tackle poverty.
It said the Government’s plan to review its targets “risks delaying action and lowering ambitions” as it called for new, stretching ones to be created.
The report said: “We have consistently heard the First Minister describe eradicating poverty as his defining mission.
“This commitment is welcome, but there is an increasing disconnect between the Scottish Government’s rhetoric and the reality of life for families in poverty across Scotland.”
It called for ministers to bring forward a “new, much bolder and properly funded plan to reduce poverty in Scotland”, and reform local government funding to ensure that “services are best where they are needed the most”.
According to the report, around 940,000 people in Scotland (17%) are in poverty, with 11% in deep poverty and 7% in very deep poverty.
Rates of poverty and deep poverty have only fallen by one percentage point between 2021-24 and 2020-25, and very deep poverty has shown little change, it said.
Around two in five people in poverty are in very deep poverty, meaning their incomes are well below the poverty line.
Chris Birt, associate director for Scotland at the JRF, said: “There is a risk that public service reform and the review of the child poverty reduction targets could distract us from the glaring need to improve the lives of children in Scotland.
“But that doesn’t need to be the choice. The Scottish Government can and should choose for its actions to meet its rhetoric.
“Significant action is required – on housing, work, and social security in particular – to make progress on reducing poverty and building the country we all want to see.
“We are on course to miss the legally binding targets by miles, but parliament can choose to up the ante and provide challenging new targets that re-energise government efforts.”
Mr Birt said the report showed local government reform “probably should be on the table”, but said it “must be designed to make services work better for families in poverty” and “not just to save money”.
He went on: “With people feeling overlooked and ignored by politicians, and shocking numbers of children still growing up in poverty, we must take action now and choose a future where all of our children can flourish.”
The Poverty in Scotland 2026 report also found significant levels of unhappiness with councils from people on low incomes or living in the most deprived areas, reporting worse experiences of local services.
A Diffley Partnership to survey, commissioned by the JRF as part of the report, revealed many people do not think their local authorities are well enough funded to deliver the services needed in their area, or are doing enough to tackle poverty.
Two-thirds (67% ) said they thought their council received too little funding to provide the services needed in their area.
The poll of 3,381 adults found that around half (49%) said they thought their local council is highly responsible for reducing poverty in their area.
Two-thirds (67%) said they thought their council received too little funding to provide the services needed in their area.
Despite widespread disaffection with councils, the survey found high levels of trust in key people working for and with them, such as teachers and nursery staff.
The report recommends that the Scottish Government’s public service reforms should focus on reducing child poverty, and local government finance should be overhauled to help make services best where they are needed the most.
It said councils should prioritise preventing poverty in their communities, and make full use of their levers including economic development, childcare, employability, transport, housing, and schools.
It also urged councils to provide better quality and more joined-up local services to support families in or at risk of poverty, and involve people with lived experience of poverty in local decision-making.
Social justice secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s defining mission. We want to enable every family to flourish.
“That is the fair and equal society that befits the people of Scotland, and how we create a more prosperous nation.
“While we have made great strides, with our policies keeping around 100,000 children out of poverty this year, we know there is more to do.
“The time to go further is now.
“That means changing how services work together, ensuring they are joined up and designed around need, so that families can get the right support, at the right time and in the right place.
“Whole family support is central to that ambition.
“Our efforts combine action to strengthen support now, such as through our £20 million Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund, while also ensuring poverty prevention is our long-term focus.
“That is public service reform in action, with the aim of improving daily lives.
“We are doing so in partnership with charities, public services and local communities, empowering those closest to families to develop solutions that work for their communities.
“This will build on the progress we are already making such as through the game-changing Scottish Child Payment, which is providing unparalleled financial support to the families of over 320,000 children.”
She said that overall in 2026-27 the Scottish Government is committing around £3.5 billion to policies that tackle poverty and the cost of living.
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