Tag: injustice

Anti-poverty campaigners call for a new Minimum Income Guarantee and a boost in Scottish Child Payment

LATEST POVERTY STATISTICS PUBLISHED

Campaigners have called for a Minimum Income Guarantee and an immediate increase in the Scottish Child Payment that will lift thousands out of poverty.

Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly was reacting to new Scottish Government figures on poverty and inequality.

He said: “Poverty is a profound injustice that robs people of what they need to build a decent life for themselves and a better future for our country. These figures show that MSPs in the next Scottish Parliament need to invest much more in the social foundation we all rely on.

“Because of changes in the way the figures have been worked out, we have to be cautious about the comparisons we make. But they show some welcome progress over the last few years, with the overall number of people in poverty falling by about 130,000 since 2021/22, and the number of children in poverty from 540,000 to 420,000.

“But we have serious concerns that those numbers could increase again, as people face yet another energy crisis and the prospect of rocketing living costs across the board.

“The figures show that there are 630,000 people in severe poverty – with children making up 150,000 of them. It is simply wrong that so many of our fellow citizens find themselves pushed so close to deprivation.”

The Poverty Alliance repeated its calls to boost the Scottish Child Payment to £55 a week.

Peter Kelly said: “Our new MSPs will have a legal responsibility to make sure that fewer than 10% of Scotland’s children are in poverty by 2030/31. Today’s figures show that 21% of our children are living with that daily injustice.

“We simply cannot allow this to continue. The Scottish Government can help by strengthening the support we give to households with children, and the UK Government can help by scrapping the unjust benefit cap.

“And over the course of the next Parliament, we will continue to build public support for real Living Wages and a Minimum Income Guarantee that will make sure everyone has what they need to use their talents for the benefit of themselves, their households, and all of us.”

Responding to today’s statistics on household incomes and poverty which show one in five children in Scotland are trapped in poverty, Chief Executive of Children First, Mary Glasgow said: “A small drop in child poverty does not change the urgent need for action to tackle Scotland’s childhood emergency and meet Scotland’s 2030 child poverty target.

“It is not acceptable that one in five children in Scotland are living in poverty. It has a devastating impact on children’s mental health, wellbeing, education and prospects that can last into adulthood. Reducing child poverty is an investment in Scotland’s future, improving public health, strengthening communities and reducing public costs in the long term.

“In the run up to the election, every political party must prioritise policies that support families, strengthen incomes and uphold Scotland’s commitment to eradicating child poverty.”

Commenting on today’s latest official poverty statistics, Debbie Horne, Scotland Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Independent Age said: “Today’s statistics show there are still too many pensioners living in poverty in Scotland. 

“As the national charity supporting older people on low incomes, we know that older people are skipping meals, washing in cold water and not turning the heating on. This is wrong and a social injustice.  

“As the Holyrood elections approach, all political parties must prioritise action to reduce pensioner poverty. This should start with a national strategy, a plan setting out the key actions to reduce poverty in older age and act as a map for how we will get there. 

“They must also pledge to improve the social security support for older people on low incomes, and commit to supporting older people improve the energy efficiency of homes. 

“We also urge the UK Government to introduce a social tariff for energy across the whole of the UK to reduce the cost of heating for older people on low incomes. The UK Government must also improve the take-up and adequacy of the payments they administer to older people. 

“The levels of poverty in later life are too high in Scotland, and with around 1.7 million older people now in poverty across the UK, today’s figures must be a call to action.” 

TRUSSELL commented: “It’s encouraging that child poverty is falling in Scotland. It shows the power of investing in social security.

“But it’s not acceptable that 1 in 5 children are locked in poverty. All parties must commit to decisive action to ensure every child has a decent start in life.”

Cara Hilton, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Trussell, said:  “Today, the Family Resources Survey has revealed a heartbreaking injustice; persistently high numbers of people across Scotland are trapped in the grip of severe hardship.  

“While the latest figures indicate that some people are getting back on their feet, the numbers of people facing hunger in our communities are still too high. As we find ourselves yet again facing uncertain times, we know that progress can be too easily undone. People just surviving could once again be pushed over the edge if the price of food and bills increases. 

“Food banks in our community provided more than 220,000 food parcels in Scotland in 2025 – that’s 64% more than in 2015. These new figures from the government confirm that 500,000 people are facing hunger across Scotland. This isn’t right.  

“With the Holyrood election just six weeks away, Trussell is calling on all political parties to commit to building a Scotland where everyone can afford the essentials and where every child has a decent start in life.

“This should include immediate investment to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week, increasing to £55 by the end of the next Holyrood session. We need the Scottish government to build firmer foundations for people on the lowest incomes so all of us have the support we need to thrive.”  

Latest poverty statistics published

Two poverty statistics publications were released by the Scottish Government yesterday. Poverty and income inequality in Scotland 2022-25 covers the period up to March 2025, presenting poverty rates for children, working-age adults and pensioners.

Methodological changes have been applied to the statistics in this report as the Department for Work and Pensions have linked the source data from the Family Resources Survey to administrative records on social security benefits.

As a result, there have been revisions to previously published poverty rates back to 2021/22, and further revisions are planned as part of on-going development work. Users should therefore note that caution is needed when interpreting the statistics to assess trends over time.

The most recent three-year averages for 2022-25 show that:

  • Around 17 per cent of Scotland’s population (940,000 people) were living in relative poverty after housing costs. This was 15 per cent (840,000 people) before housing costs. Poverty rates for Scotland’s population have been broadly stable for around a decade.
  • Children are more likely to be in relative poverty: 21 per cent of children are in relative poverty after housing costs, compared to 13 per cent of pensioners and 18 per cent of working-age adults. Children in relative poverty are more likely to be in a working household; 75% of children in relative poverty have at least one person working in the household while 25% have no-one in household working.
  • The median household income before housing costs was £707 per week and after housing costs was £636. Prior to 2021/22, median incomes had increased slowly but steadily since the recession in 2008/09.

Persistent Poverty in Scotland 2010-24 presents statistics on people who live in relative poverty for at least three out of the last four years. The latest figures show that around one in ten people in Scotland (11 per cent) were in persistent poverty, after housing costs, between 2020 and 2024. Persistent poverty rates were highest for children (17 per cent), and lower for working-age adults (10 per cent) and pensioners (9 per cent). 

Persistent poverty is an important measure because the longer someone is in poverty, the more it impacts on their health, well-being, and overall life chances. These impacts can affect an individual throughout their lifetime. 

Further information on the two publications is set out below:

This Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland publication contains statistics on poverty, child poverty, poverty risks for various equality characteristics, household income and income inequality for Scotland. This report also includes statistics on household food security. The data comes from the Department for Work and Pensions’ Family Resources Survey (FRS), Households Below Average Income dataset. Comparable UK income and poverty figures are published on the same day by DWP.

Statistics from this report have been revised, back to 2021/22, due to a methodology change. The FRS is now linked to administrative data, which means the majority of FRS responses for benefit income and tax credits have been replaced with data from DWP’s administrative sources. Further years of linked estimates back to survey year 2018/19 will be published in summer 2026 in a follow up release. The absolute poverty measure has also been amended as a result of the data linkage; full details can be found in the report.

This publication has been designated as official statistics in development in line with the other devolved administrations in order to acknowledge the changes to the methodology and that there will be a period of flux as further methodological changes are implemented. Future changes are announced by DWP in their release strategy, which is updated periodically as plans develop. A statistical blog has been published on the Scottish Government website to inform users of developments.

Figures are presented in the main report are three-year averages of each estimate. Three-year estimates are better to identify trends over time. The four child poverty measures in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act are based on single-year figures. These statistics are available in the reference tables and in the child poverty summary. The single-year estimates exhibit more year-on-year fluctuation compared to the three-year averages and should be interpreted with caution.

This Persistent Poverty in Scotland publication presents estimates of the proportion of people in Scotland who live in persistent poverty. The data comes from the Understanding Society Survey, and the latest statistics cover the period from 2020 to 2024. Statistics from this report are badged as official statistics. 

Poverty statistics are used by the Scottish Government and other organisations to monitor progress in tackling poverty and child poverty, and to analyse what drives poverty and what works for tackling poverty and income inequality.

Official statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Key poverty measures:

Relative poverty: A person is in relative poverty if their current household income is less than 60% of the current UK median. Relative poverty statistics fall if income growth at the lower end of the income distribution is greater than overall income growth.

Absolute poverty: A person is in absolute poverty if their current household income is less than 60% of the UK median in a given reference year, adjusted for inflation. Absolute poverty statistics fall if low income households are seeing their incomes rise faster than inflation. Due to the structural break introduced by the data linkage the reference year for absolute poverty has been moved from 2010/11 to 2024/25. 

Combined low income and material deprivation identifies the proportion of children in households with incomes below 70% of the median UK income and going without certain basic essential goods and services.

Persistent poverty identifies the number of people in relative poverty for three or more out of four years. People who live in poverty for several years may be affected by it throughout their lifetime.

The poverty publications present poverty figures before and after housing costs. Before-housing-costs figures are a basic measure of household income from earnings and benefits. After-housing-costs figures subtract spending on rents, mortgage interest payments and other unavoidable housing costs from this basic income. In Scotland, poverty statistics focus mainly on poverty after housing costs.

Further information on income and poverty statistics within Scotland is available.

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Bishop Brian scales hill to highlight water poverty

Fortunately, most of us don’t have to climb a hill to brush our teeth in the morning. But that’s exactly what Bishop Brian McGee did to raise awareness of communities around the world in need of clean water.    

Bishop Brian is SCIAF’s Bishop President and cares deeply about poverty and injustice around the world.

Bishop Brian said: “What can be more unjust that not being able to access clean, safe water? 

“This year our WEE BOX Appeal focusses on just that. In Scotland, we are blessed with some of the finest water in the world. We bathe in it, use it for cooking, and drink as much as we want, whenever we want. We take it for granted that it will always be there.    

“Water is life. But for many, it’s dangerously scarce.   In Ethiopia far too many women,  girls and boys still have to walk for hours every day under the scorching sun. This means missed days at school, getting sick from dirty water, and in some places taking their lives in their hands just to reach water. 

“Getting that big sink up the hill was a struggle. It weighed a tonne and it was blowing a hooley, but I just did it once. It’s nothing compared to the daily struggle many have to access clean water.  

“Thanks to the generosity of people across Scotland, SCIAF has been funding local organisations in Ethiopia to bring clean water to communities and help people help themselves out of poverty. And we need their help again to continue to do this.”   

Lent is 40 days of reflection, fasting, and prayer leading up to Easter. Each year generous Scots up and down the country give up a favourite treat such as coffee, chocolate, wine or crisps during Lent and put the money they save into a SCIAF WEE BOX.        

Supporters also hold fundraising events in their schools and parishes and take on personal challenges to raise money. They then donate whatever they raise at Easter to provide a hand-up to vulnerable communities worldwide, struggling to survive due to hunger, poverty, conflict and the climate emergency.       

Bishop Brian added: “I have had the privilege of seeing first-hand the transformational work that our amazing SCIAF supporters are funding in Ethiopia. It is genuinely changing lives. 

“Bringing clean water closer to people’s homes helps kids get to school and improves the health of the whole family. It’s amazing the difference basic things like taps and wells can make for people’s lives.   

“We know that there are still so many more people suffering in Ethiopia and across the world from extreme poverty. With support like this, we can reach more families and more communities and give them a hand up out of the challenges they face.”     

This Lent, please use your WEE BOX to make a BIG CHANGE. Your support can show young people around the world that a better world is possible – one where they can survive, thrive and flourish.   

For more details on how to donate, please visit www.sciaf.org.uk/weebox. 

To donate £10, please text SCIAF to 70580. Texts will cost £10 plus your standard network charge.  

LINDA GARCIA: A Tribute

Despite leaving North Edinburgh for the bright lights in London when she was only 17, Linda never forgot where she came from and was  very proud of North Edinburgh , its people and the community’s long history of  fighting injustice (writes LYNN McCABE).  

She felt very strongly about inequality and social justice and although she had a  comfortable life  and could have spent her retirement years with her feet up, she chose to  get involved in her old  community and do what she could to try to improve things.

She  was  passionate about education and was a great advocate for   lifelong learning  and  signed up for a variety of  courses which covered some of the topics she was interested in including Scottish history,  politics, the Scots language  and the arts.   Even when she wasn’t attending a   class, she was always researching something and was  keen to share  her learning with others.

She joined the Power to the People group in 2012, a new project developed by local activists who wanted to study  the history of protest in Scotland through the  arts.  It was a perfect fit for Linda with her passion for politics, Scottish history and the arts. 

The class ran for  a number of years and brought together people who were new to activism as well as people who had been involved in community  politics and the trade unions.  

Linda  was really interested in listening to everyone’s views  but  was more than capable of  holding her own  during the  many heated debates that took place each week!

Through the years,  the focus of the class moved from studying the history of  protest to actually taking part in protests!  Members of the  Power to the People group got involved in many local issues   including cuts to local services and the campaign to stop the eviction of local families from their homes.  

Linda was at the heart of these protests helping to design placards and banners  and was actively involved  in a sit-in at the local housing office and  a protest that ended up  taking over   Ruth Davidson’s constituency office.    She also took part in numerous protests  outside the city chambers every year in response to proposals to cut vital local services.   

Having exhausted the subject of the history of protest in Scotland over a 2 year period, Linda and her class mates from the Power to the People group decided it was time to undertake another research project where the focus was closer to home. 

This project  was going to focus on North Edinburgh’s  history  and would cover some of the big industrial, housing and political changes in the area over the last century.  It turned out that  there was too many interesting things which they felt  could not be missed out so the history timeline began  with the Roman encampment in Cramond!

The information the group unearthed was fascinating and highlighted how central North Edinburgh was  to Scotland’s history.   

On the completion of this research, Linda and a few other folk from the group decided their next priority would be to promote  North Edinburgh’s  hidden  history and over a number of years they  developed heritage walks, a history hub down at Madelvic and  led a successful campaign to protect and restore the Granton Castle Walled Garden.   

Linda remained actively involved in all these  projects  even as her health deteriorated  and was instrumental  in helping to preserve the area’s  cultural heritage.

Another passion of Linda’s was arts and culture.  She  felt strongly about the need for the arts to be accessible to everyone.  She was a regular visitor at the city’s art galleries and  kept her eye out for new exhibitions  and cultural events which were heading  to Edinburgh. 

She was quick to share this information with all the  groups and projects she was connected with  which ensured that  local folk from  didn’t miss out.

Linda was very good with her hands and was one of the  stitchers involved in creating the Prestonpans tapestry, The Diaspora Tapestry for the Homecoming and the Great Tapestry of Scotland. 

She almost succeeded in convincing  her friends from North Edinburgh to embark on a new project called the Great Tapestry of North Edinburgh which was going to cover key historical events  and famous people associated with  North  Edinburgh.  Everyone was really excited about the idea of this project, until they realised that they were going to have to be involved in doing the stitching! 

Despite a really positive meeting with Andrew Crummy who had designed the other tapestries, the consensus amongst the group was that it was a good idea but none of them were likely to be alive to see the tapestry completed so sadly that project didn’t come to pass! 

Another  passion  of Linda’s was womens’ rights and so on Wednesday afternoons she would catch up with her pals from the Women’s International Group (WIG) who ran   a programme of informal learning opportunities  for local women. 

The group also  organised numerous events including womens’ health and well-being days, hustings, and public meetings on local issues and made history when they  became the first singing deputation at a full council meeting.   

Being local women, the  Women’s International Group were well aware of all the strong  North Edinburgh women who had came before them  and made a point of  celebrating their achievements and the achievements of inspirational women from  around the world at their annual international womens day events. 

Linda was always  at the heart of these gatherings and did presentations,  took her turn at  chairing the event, read poetry but  was equally happy to do the register or  make the tea and coffee.  

 Linda’s  passion for her community continued through the last few years of her life.  She would regularly email me funding information or links to materials which she thought would be useful. 

Despite her  health issues, she remained interested in what was happening in North Edinburgh and regularly shared words of support and encouragement to the  friends  she had made in the community over the years. 

Linda was most definitely a North Edinburgh ‘wummin’ through and through and will be missed by all who knew her. 

Lynn McCabe

Community Learning and Development Worker

Royston Wardieburn Community Centre

Justice for WASPI women?

A comprehensive investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has found that thousands of women may have been affected by DWP’s failure to adequately inform them that the State Pension age had changed.  

The 1995 Pensions Act and subsequent legislation raised the State Pension age for women born on or after 6 April 1950. The Parliamentary and Health Servive Ombudsman investigated complaints that, since 1995, DWP has failed to provide accurate, adequate and timely information about areas of State Pension reform. 

PHSO published stage one of their investigation in July 2021. It found failings in the way DWP communicated changes to women’s State Pension age. 

This final report combines stages two and three of the investigation. It both considers the injustice resulting from the maladministration we identified during stage one and also sets out our thinking about remedy. 

To date, DWP has not acknowledged its failings nor put things right for those women affected. DWP has also failed to offer any apology or explanation for its failings and has indicated it will not compensate women affected by its failure. 

DWP’s handling of the changes meant some women lost opportunities to make informed decisions about their finances. It diminished their sense of personal autonomy and financial control. 

PHSO Chief Executive Rebecca Hilsenrath, said: “The UK’s national Ombudsman has made a finding of failings by DWP in this case and has ruled that the women affected are owed compensation. DWP has clearly indicated that it will refuse to comply. This is unacceptable. The Department must do the right thing and it must be held to account for failure to do so.   

“Complainants should not have to wait and see whether DWP will take action to rectify its failings. Given the significant concerns we have that it will fail to act on our findings and given the need to make things right for the affected women as soon as possible, we have proactively asked Parliament to intervene and hold the Department to account.

“Parliament now needs to act swiftly, and make sure a compensation scheme is established. We think this will provide women with the quickest route to remedy.”   

The investigation has been complex and involved analysing thousands of pages of evidence. On a number of occasions, parties were allowed additional time to consider and comment on our views.

PHSO also agreed last year to look again at part of their stage two findings following a legal challenge. All of this resulted to delays in the final report. 

The report has been laid before Parliament, with a request that it looks at PHSO’s findings and intervenes to agree a remedy for the women affected.

While Parliament will make its own decisions about rectifying the injustice, PHSO have shared what they consider to be an appropriate remedy.

In addition to paying compensation, PHSO have made it clear that DWP should acknowledge its failings and apologise for the impact it has had on complainants and others similarly affected. 

The Ombudsman has received a series of complaints relating to how well DWP has communicated a variety of State Pension reforms. Concerns about communication of changes to the State Pension age constitute only one such area of complaint.

The Department has also declined to act on other issues that have been consistently highlighted in complaints. A report from the Ombudsman later in the year will set these out. 

It’s understood that over three million women are affected. So far, neither Conservative nor Labour politicians have committed to paying compensation,

British Sign Language Bill set to clear final hurdle before becoming law

Tens of thousands of British Sign Language (BSL) users are anticipating a momentous day today as a Bill that will see BSL become a recognised language in Britain is expected to clear its final hurdle on the way to becoming law.

The British Sign Language Bill, a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Rosie Cooper MP last year and backed by the government, will receive its third reading in the House of Lords today before it passes into law following Royal Assent.

The BSL Act will recognise BSL as a language of England, Wales and Scotland in its own right. It is also supported by a duty on the Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to regularly report on what each relevant government department has done to promote or facilitate the use of British Sign Language in its communications with the public.

The Act further places a requirement on the DWP Secretary of State to issue guidance to departments on the promotion and facilitation of BSL. The guidance will be developed together with D/deaf BSL signers.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Chloe Smith MP said: “Today is a momentous day and I truly hope it will transform the lives of D/deaf people across the country.

“The BSL Bill will help remove barriers faced by the D/deaf community in daily life and is a further welcome step towards a more inclusive and accessible society.

“I am so grateful to the efforts of Rosie Cooper MP and the wonderful campaigners who have brought the BSL Bill to the point of passing into law and I’m proud to have played a small part in its journey.”

Rosie Cooper MP said: “At long last, the Deaf community will be able to say that their language is legally recognised.

“Working across party lines and with the Deaf community, I really believe we have made history by creating a mechanism for Deaf people to achieve equal access to public services. Their voices will be heard loud and clear and there will be no excuse for failing to respect BSL as a language.

“The hard work doesn’t stop here however, but the door is now open for the Deaf community make real progress fixing the injustices that they continue to face.”

David Buxton, Chair of the British Deaf Association, said: “We are extremely pleased to see the UK Parliament finally vote to recognise British Sign Language as a language of Great Britain in law today, after 19 long years of campaigning.

“Today is a historic day for the Deaf community in the UK, and an inspiration for other countries around the world where the national sign language has not yet been recognised in law.

“The British Deaf Association looks forward to working hand in hand with the government and civil servants to implement and monitor the progress of the BSL Act 2022.

“While today is a day to celebrate, we are aware that this marks the first step on a long path towards providing truly equal access to public services, information and opportunities for Deaf BSL users in Great Britain.”

Mark Atkinson, Chief Executive at RNID, said: “RNID and our supporters join with the Deaf community today to celebrate this historic moment as British Sign Language passes the final hurdle before it is legally recognised in England, Wales and Scotland.

“We’re immensely proud to have worked alongside other deaf organisations and parliamentarians to support this campaign. We look forward to the BSL Bill getting Royal Assent soon and to working with the government to make sure the BSL Act makes a real difference to the lives of Deaf people in the UK.”

The Third Reading of the BSL Bill takes place today in the House of Lords and following this it will receive Royal Assent.

The BSL Bill was first introduced on 16 June 2021 and passed through the House of Commons on 17 March 2022, receiving unanimous cross-party support.

The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work has worked closely with Labour MP Rosie Cooper and D/deaf people’s charities and organisations, such as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and the British Deaf Association (BDA), to ensure the Bill effectively meets the needs of those who will benefit most.

Figures from the British Deaf Association suggest that 151,000 people use BSL in the UK, 87,000 of whom are D/deaf.