A major children’s charity has urged MSPs to support the SNP Government’s Budget to help kids in poverty.
Save the Children also urged Ministers to amend the plans by increasing the value of the Scottish Child Payment for low income families.
Finance Secretary Shona Robison used the draft Budget to announce £2bn extra for the NHS as well as starting the process of abolishing Westminster’s two child benefit cap.
The SCP, payable for every eligible child, will also rise to £27.15 a week in April.
In a briefing to MSPs, Save the Children wrote: “We urge all political parties in the Scottish Parliament to support the budget so children can benefit from the positive steps taken.”
“At the same time, we know that further action is needed to eradicate child poverty in Scotland, so we call on the Scottish Government to amend this budget to go even further towards meeting the 2030 child poverty reduction targets.
“The budget includes a number of measures that will support low-income families in Scotland, which Save the Children welcomes. In particular, the passing of this budget would be a welcome step towards mitigating the cruel two-child cap.
“If the cap was removed today, 15,000 children in Scotland would immediately be lifted out of poverty, and many more will benefit from their household incomes rising.”
The charity also called on the SCP to be increased to at least £30 in this budget and to £40 within the lifetime of the Parliament:
“Increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £30 could see 5,000 children in Scotland lifted out of poverty.”
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