Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville will meet anti-poverty and social justice charities in London today (Monday 25th March) to share learning and set out Scotland’s approach to addressing inequality.
She will visit The Feathers Association, a charity which provides opportunities for children and young people, to meet with staff and hear their experiences of tackling poverty in their community.
The Mayor’s Fund for London, as partners of The Feathers Association, will also join this visit and share their perspective on tackling poverty across London.
Later, at a round table of economists, experts and heads of policy from leading charities and academia, she will highlight Scotland’s success in building a social security system based on principles of dignity, fairness and respect.
She will call on the UK Government to learn from Scotland’s approach to supporting those who need it most, discuss the challenges of tackling poverty within the current social security system and explain the impact of the ‘game-changing’ Scottish Child Payment in Scotland.
Speaking ahead of the engagements Ms Somerville said:
“The Scottish Government has been ambitious and shown leadership through our national mission to tackle poverty and address inequality.
“Modelling estimates that 100,000 fewer children will live in poverty in 2024-25 as a result of the Scottish Government’s policies.
“The UK Government must follow the example of our rights-based approach to social security, which is making a real difference across Scotland, and UK ministers should also look to replicate our game-changing Scottish Child Payment across the UK.
“It is estimated that the UK Government could lift 40,000 children out of poverty in Scotland in 2024-25 if they took key steps to reform Universal Credit, including by introducing an Essentials Guarantee and abolishing the two child limit.”
