Child poverty rates in Ayrshire are set to drop over the next four years according to a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The UK Poverty 2025 report predicts rates of child poverty across Scotland will fall by 1.9 per cent over the next four years with the rest of the UK set to see an increase.
Child poverty rates in Ayrshire are among the highest in Scotland with almost one in three children in the county living in poverty.
Measures by the Scottish Government including the Scottish Child Payment were highlighted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation “likely” helping to reduce child poverty rates in Scotland.
Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown has welcomed the report, which she said shows the difference that Scottish Government policies like the Scottish Child Payment are making to the lives of children in Ayr, Prestwick and Troon.
Commenting, Ms Brown said: “This report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation highlights the real benefit that SNP policies like the Scottish Child Payment are having on children in Scotland, including here in my constituency.
“To see child poverty rates in Scotland drop while they look set to rise across the rest of the UK, shows the tangible difference that progressive, evidence-led policy interventions can make to the lives of our young people.
“The SNP Scottish Government has made eradicating child poverty its number one priority. Whilst there is still much work to be done, it is encouraging that the action we are taking is bringing us closer to achieving this, and that our policies are making a tangible difference to children’s lives here in Ayr, Prestwick and Troon.”
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