More than 2,000 Renfrewshire children were plunged into poverty just as the cost-of-living crisis tightened, new figures have revealed.
Statistics, published by the End Child Poverty Coalition, shows 7,840 youngsters in the local authority area were found to be living below the breadline in the 2021/22 financial year.
An increase of 2,081 on the previous year, it means just under one in four of our children, 23.4 per cent, are now living in homes with not enough cash to cover the basics.
The most up to date child poverty figures available, they paint a picture of the situation in Renfrewshire before inflation rocketed to a 40-year high of over 11 per cent.
It was, however, also before the Scottish Child Payment was increased.
Heather Kay, manager of The Star Project, which is at the forefront of fighting poverty in Paisley, said she is not surprised by the horrifying numbers.
She told the Paisley Daily Express: “If the report says 2,000 additional children, we would suggest doubling that. For all the people who can be identified as living in poverty in these reports, we know on the ground there are more.
“We know that because our phones do not stop ringing from the moment we come in the morning until we leave at night. We are under tremendous pressure to be able to fill the gap in support for people who, without our safety net, would fall into a dangerously low place.”
Julie Edminston, assistant manager of Renfrewshire Foodbank, said the rising level of food poverty amongst children is evident every single day.
“In the past year we have seen a significant increase in the number of children being supported by the food bank,” she said. “There has been a 50 per cent increase between March last year and March of this year. The increase in child poverty is very clear and it is grim.
“We are seeing increases across the board but there is a significant increase mainly in people with children and that is the most horrifying part.
“Parents have told us that if it wasn’t for the food bank and indeed other support organisations they don’t know what they would do. It is desperately sad.”
The figures show child poverty has remained stubbornly high in Renfrewshire in recent years.
In 2014/15, an estimated 5,768 children, 19 per cent, were living in poverty in the area – a figure largely similar to that recorded in 2020/2021.
All of these children are living in homes that have below 60 per cent of the median income after housing costs.
The End Child Poverty Coalition is calling on both the UK and Scottish governments to do more to support families in crisis.
It wants the UK Government to scrap its controversial two-child limit policy which limits key child-related benefits to the first two children in the family.
Evidence shows that children with two or more siblings are more likely to be in poverty. Across the UK, their risk of being in poverty rises to 42 per cent.
The Scottish Government is being urged to up the value the Scottish Child Payment and to provide additional payments for families affected by the two-child limit, until it is abolished.
It is currently pays £25 per week for every child aged under 16 in a low income household.
Social justice secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said the Scottish Government has taken action on key areas such as rent, the bedroom tax and the benefit cap.
“Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical missions for this government,” she said.
“This year and last we have allocated almost £3 billion to support policies to tackle poverty and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
“We have a range of actions in our Tackling Child Poverty Delivery plan and our five family payments could be worth over £10,000 by the time an eligible child turns six – over £8,000 more than families in England and Wales. This includes the Scottish Child Payment.”
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