Scottish Campaigners Call for £5pw Child Benefit Increase

Daily Record

With only a week to go before the Scottish Government’s consultation on social security closes the child poverty campaigners draw on their social security expertise to publish a paper highlighting key areas where use of new powers could boost family incomes in the face of increasing pressure on household finances.

Chief amongst CPAG’s proposals is for Scottish Government to use new ‘top-up’ powers to increase child benefit in Scotland by at least £5 a week.  The campaigners say this policy alone could reduce child poverty in Scotland by a substantial 14%, lifting 30 000 children out of poverty. Other recommendations set out the importance of benefits being delivered by a new national agency; how devolved social security can ensure disabled people are treated with dignity and respect and how universal credit can be delivered in a way that works for families in Scotland.