Drop in child poverty in Scotland since targets introduced, report says

Scotland has seen a 12% drop in child poverty since introducing reduction targets into law in 2017, according to new research.

There has been a reduction of 21,000 children living in relative poverty, while in the same period, England and Wales have seen a 15% rise, said the Big Issue.

The magazine said its study highlighted why Westminster should implement similar poverty reduction targets.

Its analysis of UK child poverty statistics found that the assent of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 was a “parting of the ways” for the different home nations’ trajectories on child poverty.

The report said a cyclical target-setting method would translate Labour’s stated ambition of “enduring poverty reduction” into concrete, measurable steps.

Lord John Bird, Big Issue founder and crossbench peer, said: “With child poverty in England and Wales predicted to rise to new pernicious highs, we cannot accept rhetoric in place of real change – we must demand sustained, legislative action.

“Parliamentarians possess the authority to drive this transformation. Let us not look back and regret another missed opportunity. The time has come to stop simply managing poverty and to begin ending it.”