Lanarkshire MSP Monica Lennon has called for immediate action from the UK and Scottish governments to tackle the cost of living crisis following the release of a ‘heartbreaking’ briefing from Save the Children.
The charity’s ‘Protecting Children in Scotland from the Cost-of-Living Crisis’ report lays bare the impact the crisis is having on families across the country.
Including real-life examples, it warns that if solutions are not implemented urgently which match the scale of the crisis, the immediate impacts on children could be ‘catastrophic’.
Ms Lennon, a Central Scotland Labour and Co-operative representative, is backing Save the Children’s calls for the UK Government to double the cost of living payments announced in May and to increase the child element of Universal Credit by £10 a week.
The charity is also urging the Scottish Government to double the planned ‘bridging payments’ for families with children in receipt of free school meals, make a further one-off payment to all recipients of the Scottish Child Payment, double the Child Winter Heating Assistance payment and boost the value and administrative responsiveness of the Scottish Welfare Fund.
Ms Lennon said: "It’s beyond time both the UK and Scottish governments put families first and addressed this crisis.
"As outlined in this new heartbreaking report from Save the Children, without immediate action, families are facing catastrophic circumstances.
"Anyone who reads the briefing could not fail to be moved by the real-life accounts – the parents making long journeys with their children on foot as they cannot afford the bus fare, those unable to bathe their children as there’s no money for heating and hot water, and youngsters feeling ashamed that they don’t have a suitable winter jacket or shoes.
"Liz Truss and Nicola Sturgeon should read the report and seriously consider if their respective governments are doing all they can to tackle child poverty – otherwise, how can they sleep at night?"
New Tory Prime Minister Liz Truss was forced to act on the fuel crisis and announced plans in the Commons to limit gas and electricity bill rises in a scheme that will impose a two-year cap on the unit price of power.
The plan, which comes into force on October 1, will save the typical household £1000 a year, according to the government with the Truss government spending billions to protect people from soaring prices.
But opposition MSPs in Lanarkshire say the energy plan doesn't go far enough to ensure hard-up families won't have to make a choice between heating and eating this winter.
Fiona King, Scotland Policy Manager at Save the Children, said: "With the cost of food skyrocketing, and childcare bills also going up, families battling on low incomes have already hit an absolute limit.
“If there is enough money to pay the energy bills of the rich and not ask energy giants to pay a penny more, surely there should be enough money to make sure no family has to choose between heating and eating this winter.
“The cost to our children is stark. To their mental and physical health. This crisis is impacting right now but we’re also deeply concerned about the long term impacts on children.
“The Prime Minister needs to deliver a plan that provides targeted support to families on low incomes who are juggling big bills on all fronts. The best way to do this is by putting more money into Universal Credit - this should be done immediately.
"An increase in income could ensure children can get a hot meal each day as food prices rise in the shops, that houses are kept warm, and that people are prevented from falling into agonising debt as they try to make ends meet.
“This crisis is hitting families on the lowest incomes the hardest. We know from the pandemic that increasing benefits works to take children out of poverty, and that's why we want to see an increase of £10 per child per week, and for the existing cost of living package to double.”
Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did yo u know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head over to our page to give us a like and share.
