More than one in five children in Dumfries and Galloway are living in poverty.
According to a new report, 5,171 kids in the region – 22.9 per cent – are deemed to be caught in the poverty trap.
And while the number is down on the previous year the situation has been branded as “damning” by Labour MSP Colin Smyth.
He said: “Behind these figures are thousands of local families struggling to make ends meet facing a cost of living crisis that is likely to increase the level of poverty in the coming months.
“I have consistently called for action to get Scotland on track to meet our legally binding targets to significantly bring down child poverty or they won’t be worth the paper they are written on.”
He added: “These figures are damning and we are long way off the SNP’s claims that they would effectively abolish child poverty.”
The report, produced on behalf of the End Child Poverty coalition, showed that Dumfries and Galloway had the seventh highest level among Scotland’s 32 local authority areas in 2020/21.
The region is above the national average of 21 per cent but the figures are down on the year before.
Then 6,205 kids, 26.7 per cent of children, were living in poverty against a national figure of 24 per cent.
The coalition – which involves charities such Save the Children – believes the rate fell partly due to the temporary Universal Credit uplift during the Covid-19 pandemic. But there are fears that the numbers could rise in future due to the cost of living crisis.
Ed Pybus of the Child Poverty Action Group said: “The figures show just how big a difference investment in social security can make and how important the Scottish Government’s new Scottish child payment is and will continue to be if Scotland is to end the scandal of children living in poverty.
“Progress is being made but, as low-income families struggling to cope with spiralling prices know all too well, there is no room for complacency and we need every level of government to do its best to meet Scotland’s child poverty targets.”
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 requires Holyrood to take action to ensure less than 18 per cent of children live in poverty by the end of 2022/23 and less than 10 per cent by the end of the decade.
SNP MSP Emma Harper said: “Scottish Government action, such as doubling the Scottish Child Payment to £20 per week this April and increasing it to £25 for all eligible under-16s by the end of the year, is making a huge difference to families.
“Across Dumfries and Galloway, all primary school aged children receive free school meals and a £100 clothing grant is also available to those who need it.
“It is welcome that the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland recognise these positive steps but I agree with them that while Scotland has lower levels of child poverty than England or Wales, there can be no room for complacency and there is continued work required to meet the target of eradicating child poverty by 2030.”
“People are struggling with rising prices which is why we are protecting the eight million most vulnerable families across the UK with at least £1,200 of direct payments.”
