Local MP Sandra Osborne has expressed outrage at the levels of child poverty in her constituency published by The Campaign to End Child Poverty which shows that Ayr Carrick & Cumnock has one of the highest rates of child poverty in Scotland.
Sandra said,
'The Campaign which is made up of over 150 poverty organisations has published a new report and data that provides a child poverty map of the whole of the UK including a full data set showing the child poverty rate for every ward, local authority and constituency in Scotland. It is a total disgrace that in this day and age 1 in 5 of our children are living in poverty. The figures for East Ayrshire are 26% and for South Ayrshire 24%. And in my constituency of Ayr Carrick & Cumnock they are 28% - the second highest level in Scotland outside Glasgow. These figures reveal just how widely and deeply child poverty reaches into our communities, even those areas generally regarded as well off. Far too many children whose parents are struggling to make a living are suffering as a result and missing out on the essentials of a decent childhood that all young people should be entitled to. We can and must do better for our children.
Poverty ruins childhoods and reduces life chances. Failing to invest properly in children is a false economy: already child poverty costs the UK £29bn each year and in the long run taxpayers will foot an even higher bill for correcting the damage. The Group also estimates that a further 100,000 could be plunged into poverty as a result of the Tory Lib Dem Coalition Government's tax and benefit policies. The SNP Scottish Government already have considerable powers to address child poverty in Scotland but of course it has not been in their interests to make a difference while they put everything on pause to fight their failed independence campaign. Now that the independence question has been answered so emphatically it is time to put all our energy into addressing this scandal by electing a Labour Government at Westminster and having a Scottish Government that gets back to doing the job it was elected to do."
Sandra said,
'The Campaign which is made up of over 150 poverty organisations has published a new report and data that provides a child poverty map of the whole of the UK including a full data set showing the child poverty rate for every ward, local authority and constituency in Scotland. It is a total disgrace that in this day and age 1 in 5 of our children are living in poverty. The figures for East Ayrshire are 26% and for South Ayrshire 24%. And in my constituency of Ayr Carrick & Cumnock they are 28% - the second highest level in Scotland outside Glasgow. These figures reveal just how widely and deeply child poverty reaches into our communities, even those areas generally regarded as well off. Far too many children whose parents are struggling to make a living are suffering as a result and missing out on the essentials of a decent childhood that all young people should be entitled to. We can and must do better for our children.
Poverty ruins childhoods and reduces life chances. Failing to invest properly in children is a false economy: already child poverty costs the UK £29bn each year and in the long run taxpayers will foot an even higher bill for correcting the damage. The Group also estimates that a further 100,000 could be plunged into poverty as a result of the Tory Lib Dem Coalition Government's tax and benefit policies. The SNP Scottish Government already have considerable powers to address child poverty in Scotland but of course it has not been in their interests to make a difference while they put everything on pause to fight their failed independence campaign. Now that the independence question has been answered so emphatically it is time to put all our energy into addressing this scandal by electing a Labour Government at Westminster and having a Scottish Government that gets back to doing the job it was elected to do."