Call to scrap ‘punitive’ welfare policies and cut bills
The Scottish and Welsh Governments have called on the UK Government to scrap “punitive” welfare policies, adopt plans to cut energy bills, and to further devolve powers to help drive continued progress in tackling poverty.
In a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden and Education Secretary Lucy Powell, Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary and the Welsh Deputy First Minister have urged the UK Government to scrap the benefit cap, bedroom tax and the freeze to local housing allowance – which is widening the gap between housing benefits and real-world rent, driving homelessness and poverty.
The calls extend to pressing the UK Government to adopt Scottish Government proposals for a social tariff in the form of targeted bill discounts, with published modelling showing that 660,000 households in Scotland would see their estimated fuel bills go down by an average of £700.
The Scottish and Welsh Government signed the Cardiff Agreement last month, pledging to work together on areas including tackling child poverty and the cost of living.
Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Scotland and Wales are clear – we need to see far more from the UK Government to support people with the cost of living, and to support us in our efforts to end child poverty.
“Scotland is one of the most energy rich nations in the world but we pay some of the highest bills in Europe, already hundreds of pounds higher than was promised when the UK Government came to office. It is causing real hardship across the country and is a key driver of poverty.
“The Scottish and Welsh Governments are also clear that we need more action from the UK Budget to support our work on child poverty – that includes ending the cruel benefit cap which is punishing children for circumstances beyond their control.
“This has never been more pressing, with DWP’s own data showing that the number of Scottish children impacted doubled to nearly 20,000 between March and May this year.
“Our game-changing Scottish Child Payment shows the innovative and ambitious policies we can implement where we have the power. It shows why we need more powers in Scotland and Wales, rather than seeing them hoarded by the UK Government.
“The UK Government must now take action in their Budget to cut bills and boost living standards. And if they will not, they should hand the powers over to a Scottish Government that would.”
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality Sioned Williams said: “We all share the belief that no child’s life should be limited by poverty. Tackling poverty is a priority for this Welsh Government, and we are addressing it in a number of ways including expanded funded childcare, and delivering a new child poverty strategy with meaningful targets.
“While we are taking firm action wherever we can, we need the UK Government to play its part and our joint letter with the Scottish Government calls for a clear set of actions to support us in tackling child poverty. This is not only about those levers which remain with the UK Government but also about supporting us to effectively use our own powers.
“An example of this is the Cynnal child payment in Wales. This can only succeed with the co-operation of the UK Government to ensure that those receiving the payment are not penalised by having their entitlement to other benefits reduced, allowing children and families to receive the maximum possible support.
“I call on the UK Government now to work with us and give us the assurance that we can make a real difference with this scheme.
“Introducing a social tariff is also key, and I join colleagues across in UK in calling for this to be introduced urgently. In many areas such as this it is the UK Government who can make the difference and the budget is the opportunity to do this for families in Wales and across the UK.”
