Child poverty plight highlighted

from The BBC

A charity has called for more action on tackling child poverty after a report said Glasgow has some of the highest rates in the UK.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation said its research found that about 60% of children were living below the bread line in some parts of the city.

That equated to almost three times the national average of 21%.

Save the children said MSPs and the Scottish Executive must do more to assist community projects.

The foundation said its figures related to the percentage of children in families which had been receiving unemployment benefits.

The Parkhead area of Glasgow had the fourth highest level in the UK, at 63.4%, with the Bridgeton, Ibrox and Royston wards also above 60%.

Researchers found that there were 83 local wards across Scotland where the percentage of children on benefits was at least double the national average.

Thirty seven of these were in Glasgow, four in Aberdeen and five each in Dundee and Edinburgh.

Douglas Hamilton, head of policy and research at Save the Children, highlighted the work of one charity in helping to ease the problem in Glasgow, but said politicians must provide more support for such groups.

Mr Hamilton said Save the Children's Yes (Young East End Speaking) project was an example to be proud of.

'Take responsibility'

He said: "Projects such as Yes have been incredibly successful in combating issues associated with poverty, but more support is needed, especially from MSPs and the Scottish Executive.

Mr Hamilton added: "Local community groups work continuously to tackle this issue and the problems associated with it and we hope more support will be given to these organisations.

"If we are going to end child poverty in Scotland, action needs to be taken at local and national levels. We all have to take responsibility.

"Glasgow may have some of the worst statistics, but our whole society is suffering because of poverty."

During First Minister's Questions at Holyrood, Scottish National Party MSP Alex Neil said more than half of Scotland's children were living in "dire poverty" after 300 years of union with England.

However, Jack McConnell said Scotland was leading the way in tackling child poverty in the UK, with hundreds of thousands of children's lives changed under Labour in Scotland.

Glasgow Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan said: "After 10 years of hard Labour in London and Edinburgh these are statistics of shame, more than half the children in my region are living in poverty."