Westminster cuts have led to “the biggest deterioration in living standards in living memory”, according to a new report, showing the importance of Scotland gaining the powers of independence to improve living standards for households across Scotland.
The report from Child Poverty Action Group points to “a gradual degradation of living standards since 2016 due to [UK government] cuts to social security.”
The report states that “investment in social security is needed to reverse the long-term damage to living standards” and underlines the need for Westminster to reverse its ongoing corrosion of welfare support by “scrapping the two-child limit and benefit cap, and increasing child benefit by £20 a week.”
In stark contrast to the decades of Westminster cuts hammering families across Scotland, households in Scotland are receiving support from SNP government to help reduce living costs and improve incomes – including the Scottish Child Payment and childcare policies, like 1140 hours of free early learning and childcare, saving families an average £5,000 per eligible child.
Commenting SNP MSP Natalie Don said:
“It is beyond disgraceful that families are facing the greatest threat to living standards in living memory due to Westminster’s callous cuts.
“This clearly underlines how vital independence is to improve living standards for households across Scotland.
“This CPAG report outlines clearly that the current crisis facing households is the brutal cost of living with Westminster control – it’s a result of years of heartless Tory austerity inflicted by out of touch UK governments that people across Scotland did not vote for.
“Whilst the SNP Government in Holyrood is doing all it can with the powers at its disposal to help support families with the cost of living, the Scottish Government’s efforts are constantly battling against the callous cuts from Westminster, and, staggeringly, the current Tory government hasn’t ruled out yet more spending cuts.
“The only way to properly improve the lives of people across Scotland is to become an independent country and escape cruel UK government policies for good.”
