Aberlour's response to the Scottish Budget

Ahead of the Scottish Budget we urged the First Minister and his Government to accelerate efforts to tackle child poverty. 

So we welcome many of the new commitments which will help reduce the impact of poverty for some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged children and families.

Given families with young babies are often at increased risk of poverty, we are pleased to see an increase in the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week for families with a child under 1 year old. However it is disappointing, and a bit baffling, that this vital measure won’t be introduced until 2027/28, and it is still some way off meeting our call to increase the rate to £40 for all ages of children.  

However this one change will make a difference to around 12,000 children, helping to reduce child poverty and providing much needed financial support for families at the earliest and most crucial stage of their child’s life.

We are also encouraged by the announcement of a £50 million whole family support package, helping parents to get into and stay in work. Creating routes out of poverty for good for families must be our ultimate goal, so any investment to support parents into secure, meaningful fair work is welcome.

Food insecurity is a symptom of poverty, and too often children arrive at school hungry and unable to learn. The announcement of universal free breakfast clubs for all primary school children will help tackle this hidden school hunger, and support children to be ready to learn.

We know our drugs deaths crisis is far from over, and we need greater efforts to reduce drugs harm for women and their children. So we welcome the commitment to protect funding to deliver the Scottish Government’s Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan, and to intensify preventative spend across services, including for families.

In short, the measures announced in the Scottish Budget will make some progress in tackling child poverty and supporting children and families who experience the most significant disadvantage. 

The Scottish Government’s upcoming Child Poverty Plan should provide more detail on how these commitments will be taken forward. However, there is still so much more that must be done, and the current pace does not reflect the urgency of the situation for families.

We must increase the incomes of more families over the next Scottish Parliament through equalizing the value of the Scottish Child Payment for all low income families. We need more targeted investment and action to support children and familied in disabled households, as well as single parent families, who are at higher risk of poverty and disadvantage. We need clear action to tackle the public debt crisis that continues to trap families in poverty.

We asked that the First Minister used this Scottish Budget go further and faster to tackle child poverty. This is a step in the right direction, but there is so much more to do.

Justina Murray

Aberlour CEO