Double vital bridging payments as cost of living crisis worsens, First Minister urged

• Over 120 charities, faith groups, trade unions and civic organisations sign open letter urging First Minister to plug “gap in cash support.” 
• “Parents going without food to feed their children, feeling ashamed at the basics their children are going without, and dreading the coming winter bills.”

Over 120 charities, faith groups, trade unions, civic organisations and academics have today (Monday 15 August) written to the First Minister urging her to “continue to do the right thing”, and prioritise support for children as part of wider action to support hard up households. The letter follows calls on the UK government to act to bridge the shortfall in family finances as food and energy prices soar, and commitment from the First Minister to undertake an emergency budget review following a meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Group last Thursday.

The signatories to the letter – including the Children’s Commissioner, the General Secretary of the STUC, the Unite, Unison and EIS trade unions and a wide range of faith groups - say the Scottish government has been doing the right thing by investing in the Scottish child payment, which was doubled from £10 to £20 per week from April this year. However they point out that eligible children over five won’t benefit until the end of the year. Bridging payments, introduced to provide “equivalent” support to the child payment for at least some older children, have not been doubled. At a time when further massive increases to household bills are looming, they say this is leaving “a significant gap in the cash support available to families across Scotland”.

They are urging the Scottish government to help bridge that gap and, at the very least, double the October and Christmas bridging payments from £130 to £260 as part of wider action to support households through the cost of living crisis. They say this would be one straightforward way of getting more cash support to many of the households struggling most. They say parents are already going without food to feed their children, are feeling ashamed at the basics their children are going without, and are dreading the coming winter bills.

John Dickie, Director of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland, a leading member of the End Child Poverty coalition which co-ordinated the letter, said:

Doubling the Scottish Child Payment in April this year was absolutely the right thing to do, but older children are not set to benefit until the end of the year and their families are also facing more eye-watering price hikes this autumn. Doubling the remaining bridging payments would be a really straightforward way to help plug the gaps in the cash support available to families across Scotland.

Laura, a single parent from Edinburgh, says she is desperately worried about the cost of living crisis as she tries to ensure that her 13 year old son has everything that he needs. She added:

It’s unbelievable what things cost at the moment, it’s all gone up so much. Food, electric, clothes for my son. It all costs so much and right now, I just don’t know how I am going to afford it all.

Earlier this year, Laura went debt free through working with debt help charity Christians Against Poverty, a signatory to the letter, after experiencing problem debt due to ill health and a relationship breakdown. She said:

 I’ve worked hard to get back on track with my finances, but there isn’t enough to pay for all of the essential things that I need for my son. I don’t want to be in debt again.

Doubling the Scottish Child Payment Bridging Payment this October and December would make a significant difference to families like Laura’s and help keep them afloat until the child payment is fully rolled out. Laura adds:

Anything extra really would help us, pay for some of the things we really need. And take away some of the worry. It takes such a toll on your mental health worrying about money all the time. Nobody wants to live like that.

For further comment or interviews please contact John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland on 07795 340618, or Neil Cowan, Policy and Campaigns Manager at The Poverty Alliance on 07794579460.

Notes

[1] A full copy of the letter and all signatories can be found here.

[2] End Child Poverty members in Scotland include Aberlour, Action for Children, Barnardo’s Scotland, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland, Children 1st, Children in Scotland, Close the Gap, Engender, Home-Start in Scotland, One Parent Families Scotland, Oxfam Scotland, Parenting across Scotland, Poverty Alliance, Save the Children and the Trussell Trust.