Child poverty now 35% higher in England than Scotland
UK figures released last week show that child poverty rates are now 35% higher in England than in Scotland.
Annual statistics show compared with the previous year’s statistics, relative child poverty in 2023-24 reduced from 26% to 22% in Scotland while absolute child poverty fell from 23% to 17%. UK Poverty statistics show compared with the previous year’s statistics, levels of relative child poverty at 31% and absolute child poverty at 26%.
Believe in Scotland founder Gordon Macintyre-Kemp said: “It’s abundantly clear that the Scottish Government is trying to address child poverty, whilst the UK Government is hell bent on policies that create child poverty. In so many ways, being a part of the UK is making reducing child poverty in Scotland harder. Take energy - which was privatised by governments Scotland didn’t vote for. Scotland’s energy poverty rates are 31%.
“It is not possible for Scotland to truly tackle child poverty without the full powers of independence. As an independent country, Scotland could focus on creating a well-being economy and ending the systemic poverty which still affects far too many children in Scotland.”
Prof Ruth Patrick, a professor in social policy at the University of York, told the Guardian: “The progress Scotland has made on driving poverty rates down shows another way is possible. The UK government could lift 700,000 children out of poverty overnight by matching Scotland’s fiscal commitment to driving poverty down.”
The mainstream news media ignored Scotland’s progress and focused instead on reporting that Holyrood missed its 18% poverty figure target, though experts said its rates would be higher without its child poverty programme.
They did not mention that Scotland’s extortionate energy bills are making the fight against poverty much harder. The energy network was privatised by UK governments Scotland never voted for and now Scottish families are paying the price. But energy market regulation is outside the scope of the Scottish government. With independence, Scotland could do so much more.
Child Poverty rates in the UK are rising fast in international comparisons
Child poverty in the UK is rising up the international league tables and it is now much higher than in comparable European countries.
Scots can look at other similar-sized countries, many without Scotland’s wealth of natural resources, and be confident that under independence, Scotland would be able to do much more to end the kind of deep poverty which damages children’s life chances.
International comparisons on child poverty
A report from UNICEF provided us with comparable child poverty statistics for most advanced economies. It showed the rapid progress the UK has made in terms of child poverty - in the wrong direction. With a rise of 20% in a decade, the UK is doing twice as badly on this metric as any other country in the report.
The UK has zoomed in the wrong direction
Over the last decade, the UK has shot into the red with a 20% rise in the number of children living in poverty. It is very far below any of the other 39 countries which feature in the UNICEF report. The next worst country is Iceland with a rise of 11% in the rate - about half what the UK has let slip.
At the other end of the table, Poland has reduced child poverty by nearly 40%. Also pushing into the green are Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania who have all reduced child poverty by almost one third.
Not only has the UK surpassed every other country with the speed of change but in absolute terms it is also far below many countries that are less wealthy. One in 10 children are in poverty in Denmark - nearly one in three in the UK
In many of the Scandinavian countries that have comparable geography and population size to Scotland, about one in ten children live in poverty. Denmark is at the top of the list at just under one in ten.
Wealthy countries like Germany, Belgium and Canada have an absolute rate of child poverty between 15 and 17%. In the UK, the most recent figures from the Social Metrics Commission show it is around 36%.
Britain ranked 37th out of the 39 nations in the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) based on a measure combining income poverty rate for children and the country’s success in reducing child poverty in a time of growing prosperity.
The iniquitous prices Scottish families pay for energy makes the situation hard for many
But the Scottish Government’s efforts to reduce child poverty are challenged by the extortionate energy bills families have to pay. Fuel poverty rates in Scotland are more than double the rate in England. At 31%, they are far higher than any EU country - and four times the levels of countries like Scandinavia or Ireland.
Scotland is rich in energy resources - Scotland makes double its population share of UK electricity. Scotland produces a lot of renewable energy - and it could produce more. But the profit from this goes to swell the coffers of private companies owned by international investors like BlackRock and the Qatar Investment Authority.
The decision to privatise energy was an ideologically driven experiment by Westminster Conservative governments of the late 20th century that Scotland didn’t vote for.
Conclusion
An independent Scotland could do better
Many Scots have been disappointed by the current UK government’s determination to keep the damaging two child cap in place that discriminates against children in larger families.
Scottish families are also counting the cost of other Westminster policies that drive poverty - such as handing over Scotland’s energy infrastructure to money men who are bleeding Scots dry just to heat their homes.
As part of the UK, Scotland can only partially mitigate Westminster’s policies. It doesn’t hold the levers of power. The decisions Westminster makes are not based on what Scotland needs or what her people vote for.
The appalling rates of child poverty in the UK are the result of choices. They are choices Scotland’s people did not make. An independent Scotland will be free to make different ones and to learn from the example of other nations which are tackling child poverty.
Following our first two hugely successful Creating Scotland events in Perth and Glasgow, we are thrilled to announce Creating Scotland is coming to Dundee.
Join us for an afternoon of celebrating traditional and contemporary Scottish culture, featuring music, singing, poetry, readings, humour and creative thinking about independence. The event will take place at the Bonar Hall on Sunday, May 11th at 1pm.
The first two Creating Scotland events Sold-Out so don't miss your chance - click here to book your tickets now. Tickets are £10 each.
