Child Poverty
‘Shameful and shocking’ was how local Labour candidate, Carol Mochan described the latest figures showing the level of child poverty in Carrick Cumnock and Doon Valley.
‘Over one in four children in the East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire areas are living in poverty according to research by the End Child Poverty Alliance. This figure relates to the start of the pandemic and will have got a lot worse as lockdown took hold. You tend to think of poverty being concentrated in the urban areas but the statistics show that is not the case. In East Ayrshire where 26% of children are living in poverty that figure rises to 33% in Cumnock and New Cumnock and 31% in the Doon Valley. In South Ayrshire the child poverty figure averages around 25% but in Girvan and South Carrick it rises to 30%. The former mining communities, the struggling seaside towns and the scattered rural villages are all suffering badly. The growth of families having to rely on food banks is an absolute disgrace.’
Carol went on to set out her action plan to begin to tackle this.
‘The UK Government should make the temporary £20 a week uplift to Universal Credit permanent. Scottish Labour would also double the new £10 a week Scottish Child Payment for low income families with a child under six. £20 a week would begin to make a real difference. There should also be a £5 a week extra payment where a child or their parents are disabled. Tory austerity and SNP cuts to local services have widened the attainment gap for children in school. Labour supports a personal comeback plan for children who have had to struggle under Covid restrictions. Students who have had their exams cancelled should have a guaranteed college place. School children should be able to use community facilities and go on school trips for free when they open up again. There needs to be a huge expansion of access to digital equipment like laptops and tablets. There should also be free tutoring to help children who have fallen behind catch up and mental health support services in every school.’
‘Shameful and shocking’ was how local Labour candidate, Carol Mochan described the latest figures showing the level of child poverty in Carrick Cumnock and Doon Valley.
‘Over one in four children in the East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire areas are living in poverty according to research by the End Child Poverty Alliance. This figure relates to the start of the pandemic and will have got a lot worse as lockdown took hold. You tend to think of poverty being concentrated in the urban areas but the statistics show that is not the case. In East Ayrshire where 26% of children are living in poverty that figure rises to 33% in Cumnock and New Cumnock and 31% in the Doon Valley. In South Ayrshire the child poverty figure averages around 25% but in Girvan and South Carrick it rises to 30%. The former mining communities, the struggling seaside towns and the scattered rural villages are all suffering badly. The growth of families having to rely on food banks is an absolute disgrace.’
Carol went on to set out her action plan to begin to tackle this.
‘The UK Government should make the temporary £20 a week uplift to Universal Credit permanent. Scottish Labour would also double the new £10 a week Scottish Child Payment for low income families with a child under six. £20 a week would begin to make a real difference. There should also be a £5 a week extra payment where a child or their parents are disabled. Tory austerity and SNP cuts to local services have widened the attainment gap for children in school. Labour supports a personal comeback plan for children who have had to struggle under Covid restrictions. Students who have had their exams cancelled should have a guaranteed college place. School children should be able to use community facilities and go on school trips for free when they open up again. There needs to be a huge expansion of access to digital equipment like laptops and tablets. There should also be free tutoring to help children who have fallen behind catch up and mental health support services in every school.’
