Scotland's Disgrace

Save the Children’s Scottish leader Neil Mathers said: “Poverty is a scar on Scotland’s society.”

Oxfam’s Our Economy report claimed Scotland’s wealthiest households are 273 times richer than the poorest.

The charity say figures show work is not always a route to a better life in Scotland, as figures show 40 per cent of those living in poverty are in employment.

Judith Robertson, head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “The reality for too many Scots is a cocktail of high mortality, economic inactivity, mental and physical ill-health, poor educational attainment, and exclusion from the decisions that affect them.”

John Downie, director of public affairs for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations said that poverty must be a priority. “Scotland is one of the most unequal places in the developed world, with the gap between the richest and poorest growing steadily. It’s shameful that in communities across the country, people are having to choose between heating their homes or putting food on the table. Children are going to bed hungry, and parents are struggling to afford to buy their children shoes for school. Surely we can do much better than this?”

The Scottish Government’s annual report for the Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland estimates that an additional 50,000 children will be living in poverty, north of the border by 2020, bringing the total to a quarter of a million.

The Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland said that there was no chance of the Government hitting legal targets to eradicate child poverty by 2020. John Dickie, head of the charity, said: “Child poverty in Scotland is going to increase massively. “We are facing a child poverty crisis. Now is the time for politicians to turn their words into concrete action that will ensure that every child gets a fair start in life.”

Statistics from the Campaign To End Child Poverty show an average of one in three children in Glasgow live in poverty – the highest percentage in Scotland. In the city’s Springburn, 51 per cent of youngsters live in poverty, while in Calton it is 49 per cent.

Statistics suggest 720,000 people, 14 per cent of Scots, live in deprivation but campaigners believe it is nearer 850,000.

The Trussell Trust this year found the number of Scots using food banks rose by 150 per cent in 2012, from 5726 to 14,318.

Shelter Scotland director GraemeBrown said that more and more people were facing the real prospect of homelessness. He added: “There’s a perfect storm on our doorsteps. Already people are being battered by welfare reforms, stagnant wages, rising utility bills, higher living costs and job insecurity. For many, the safety and security of home is under threat like never before.”

John McKendrick, a senior lecturer at Caledonian University who co-wrote a report on tackling child poverty for Save the Children, said there had been much rhetoric but little effective action. He said: “Lots of nice words have been said but there is no direct addressing of the problem. The hopelessness that is there will intensify. For those in poverty life is getting tougher.”