UK Government accused of characterising child poverty as a ‘lifestyle choice’

The UK Government has tried to characterise poverty as a “lifestyle choice” while sweeping its effects on children “under the carpet”, Equalities Secretary Angela Constance has said.

Ms Constance blasted UK ministers for ditching the 2020 target to eradicate child poverty and attempting to scrap income-related measurements of it, as MSPs debated the Scottish Government’s plans to “build a fairer Scotland” at Holyrood.

The SNP administration has promised a Child Poverty Bill that will set statutory income targets to measure progress, and a Fairer Scotland Action Plan which includes a new socio-economic duty on local authorities and funding for community schemes.

The Conservative UK Government’s Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 repealed parts of the Child Poverty Act 2010, including the target of eradicating child poverty by 2020, and attempted to replace income-related measures with other indicators such as educational attainment, worklessness and addiction.

Challenged on the Scottish Government’s own proposals by Scottish Conservative MSP Adam Tomkins, Ms Constance (pictured) responded: “In scrapping these statutory income targets, which were less ambitious than the ones that we are proposing, I believe that the UK Government tried to sweep child poverty under the carpet.

“I am also disappointed and at times quite disgusted by the way that they characterise poverty.”

She added: “By ignoring income they tend to focus on other aspects of poverty to try and imply that there is something about poverty that is a lifestyle choice.

“We have to recognise and stand firm that you can’t have an anti-poverty strategy that does not recognise the importance of income.”

Mr Tomkins called on the Scottish Government to address areas “it has thus far shied away from”.

He said: “The SNP as a matter of urgency must address the fact that the Scottish economy persistently lags behind the UK as a whole.

“In the last year the UK economy grew by more than 2%, Scotland’s by only 0.7%.

“If only they would focus on these tasks rather than sabre-rattling about an unwanted, divisive and unnecessary second independence referendum then Scotland really would have the chance of being a fairer country.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley accused the Tories of being in “complete denial” over their part in increasing poverty in Scotland by failing to oppose the UK Government austerity policies.

He said: “Not only do the Scottish Tories have a rather simplistic view of the causes of poverty but more they are in complete denial about their role in increasing the levels of poverty in Scotland over these last six years.

“The inhumane bedroom tax, the flawed welfare reforms, the sanctions regime and the failure to invest in our economy are all contributors to the rising level of poverty since 2010.”

He warned the Scottish Government that continued cuts to local government budgets would cause inequality to grow, and criticised its decision to retain the council tax instead of creating a “fairer” way of funding public services.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone accused the Scottish Government of a “new kind of tax-dodging” by failing to replace the council tax and called for changes to the benefits regime to ease access to available financial support.

She said: “It is now time for Parliament to seriously discuss a more progressive system of income and wealth taxation to achieve that fairer Scotland.”

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