Latest news with #ScottishChildPayment
The National
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- The National
Is it right that spending quality time with family is now a privilege?
But for a lot of families, especially over the summer holidays, it can bring dread. I know many people who are really struggling right now because the costs of just getting through the day are so high. Summer holidays mean extra meals, outings, childcare, the clothes that don't fit any more – the swimming gear and shorts are too small and tight. Replacing it all adds up quickly. Even when you try to do things on the cheap, sun cream, snacks, shoes, ice creams, and bus fares all take planning and money. Some people have the flexibility to take time off in the summer. Others don't, especially single parents. If you can't find childcare, you can't work. If you don't work, the bills stack up. Even in homes where both adults are working, I know people who are on Universal Credit just to keep things going. That's the reality for many families now. Summer compounds the issue. READ MORE: Meet the Scot who who suggested schoolchildren be given free milk And it's not just about money. There's a lot of pressure on parents to make things 'fun' over the summer. To give their kids memories. But that can be hard when you're running on empty both financially and emotionally. I know what it's like to be in a busy household where you're juggling the washing, the cleaning, the feeding, the tidying. Especially if you have children with additional needs, it can feel like you never stop. But at some point, we need to stop. We need to have space to enjoy being with our children, not just managing them. Is it right that having fun, spending quality time with friends and family, is now a privilege? Summer should be about connection, not just routine. Families and friends need time together. Children need play and laughter, not just boundaries and structure. Parents need to be able to breathe. That's why I think it's important we talk about holidays – and I don't just mean fancy flights or theme parks. READ MORE: Shona Craven: I spent the weekend beach-cleaning and it really is a race against time I mean having time away from the everyday stress. Being able to slow down. To enjoy a picnic, or a walk, or a day at the beach without panicking about every pound spent. These things shouldn't be a luxury. They should be part of what we consider a good life. To be fair, the Scottish Government has brought in support that does help families, such as the Scottish Child Payment, the Best Start Grant, school clothing grants, and the Carer's Allowance Supplement. These don't solve everything but they're helping families stay afloat, and in some cases giving a bit of breathing room during tough times. It's a different approach and one that recognises that poverty isn't a personal failure but something we can tackle together through good policy and compassion. I'm glad to live in a country that is choosing to build something better. That sees social security as a safety net, not a punishment. That is willing to say that kids deserve a joyful summer. Parents deserve rest. And that wellbeing isn't soft, it's essential. All of this is part of a bigger picture. The idea that people's need for happiness and family life should come before short-term profits. That's what a wellbeing economy means to me. It doesn't mean we don't care about business, but we recognise that thriving people are the foundation of a thriving economy. Having something to look forward to, some time out, joy, a break from stress, matters more than we often admit. It's what keeps us going. I do think there's a wider conversation to be had, because even with all the good intentions and strong policies, Scotland is still operating with limited powers. We don't control the minimum wage. We don't set the rules for Universal Credit. We can't make sure that every family in Scotland gets the consistent support it needs throughout the year. So much of what we do is about mitigating the effects of decisions made elsewhere. But imagine if we didn't have to do so much patching up. Imagine if we could build the kind of country we know we're capable of without tied hands. That's what independence is really about for me. It's about having the tools to create a country where no child dreads the summer holidays. Where no parent has to choose between earning and caring. Where wellbeing isn't wishful thinking it's built into everything we do. So yes, the sun is shining and Scotland is looking glorious. But let's not forget the families behind closed doors who are just trying to make it to bedtime. Scotland is already showing what's possible when we put people first. With full powers over welfare, employment and tax, we could stop just softening the blows and start creating real, lasting change. We build a stronger nation by putting people first, starting now. Choosing a different path from Westminster and delivering it here in Scotland, valuing the whole person, not just statistics.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Zonal pricing would have cut energy bills in Scotland but Labour ruled it out
Whether it's your mortgage or rent, the cost of the messages or filling up the car, I know it feels like costs keep going up and there is not a lot left over at the end of the month. The SNP is doing what we can to support people – getting rid of peak rail fares, protecting free bus travel and supporting families with the Scottish Child Payment. But few costs are worrying people like energy bills. In an energy rich nation like Scotland nobody should be struggling to pay their bill. Yet not only are many people struggling, hundreds of thousands of families are living in fuel poverty. It is just unacceptable. Last week, the UK Labour Government ruled out a move which could have cut bills in Scotland. They have been very quick to tell us what they won't do – they now need to tell us what they will do to bring people's bills down. Labour promised to reduce your bills by £300 – but they're now around £150 higher than when Keir Starmer became Prime Minister. So we need to see clear, concrete action from the UK Government setting out how they will reduce people's bills by at least £450 if they are to fulfil that promise. They cannot stick their head in the sand and hope the problem goes away. High energy bills are one of the biggest issues people are facing and are only going to get worse when we get into winter. Labour have used their time in office to try to balance the books on the backs of the vulnerable – whether pensioners, children or disabled people. And they have done nothing to fulfil their promises on energy bills. There are two lessons we can take from that. That you simply cannot trust promises Labour make before an election. And that if people want to know what a Labour Government in Scotland might be like, just look at the shambles of Labour in government in Westminster. Gaza Last week, I met with UNICEF to discuss their work responding to the horrors being inflicted on the people of Gaza by the government of Israel. It was heartbreaking and incredibly difficult to listen to. But it only strengthened my resolve that the international community needs to act now to bring this suffering to an end and ensure peace for Israelis and Palestinians. One of the things UNICEF stressed to me was the issue of medical evacuations. That is the number of children – some of them babies – who need urgent medical care that they now just cannot receive in Gaza. Many of them will literally die without it. I do not think Scotland can stand on the sidelines while innocent children are killed. So I have been clear that we stand ready to offer live-saving treatment in our world-class NHS. We cannot however do this alone – the powers to bring the children to Scotland sit with the UK Government. That is why I have asked the Prime Minister to support us in this work and I hope he will accept. This conflict needs to end now – but until it does, Scotland stands ready to play our part in protecting innocent children who have already suffered too much. Holiday Last week, I enjoyed a few days away in Tiree with my wife Elizabeth and my son Matthew. Tiree is one of my favourite islands in Scotland and we had a fabulous couple of days at the stunning Tiree Music Festival. It has helped me to recharge the batteries before getting stuck back into things.
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- General
- Glasgow Times
4 South Lanarkshire schools to take part in pilot for free meals
The Scottish Government's new 'Test of Change Pilot' scheme will see free school meals being offered to S1-S3 pupils at the schools if their parent or carer is in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment. The four local schools which will take part during the 2025-26 school year are: Calderglen High School Trinity High School Lesmahagow High School Larkhall Academy If your child attends one of the schools listed above, is in S1-S3 and you receive the Scottish Child Payment you should apply for the free school meal pilot scheme using the online form. If you already receive free school meals, you do not have to reapply. Council leader Joe Fagan has saluted the initiative which offers a helping hand to families in different areas. He said: 'I welcome the news that hundreds of pupils across South Lanarkshire will be able to receive this vital assistance. 'Extending free school meals to secondary school pupils in need through this pilot can help us realise that. 'As part of this scheme, we are now able to open the option of healthy and nutritious school meals to more young people each day of the new school year.'
The National
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Children in England living in 'Dickensian' poverty, major report warns
Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England, has published a new report detailing how children are going without food and proper hygiene while living in cramped conditions. Her report, which was commissioned by the UK Government, drew on the experiences of 128 children across England between January and March this year. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, de Souza (below) said she had been Children's Commissioner for England for four years but was shocked 'by how much worse things have got'. (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire) She added: 'It really is Dickensian and there are a huge number of children now who have dropped below what anyone of us would think is reasonable. 'The children who have got no food to eat, the children who can't wash their clothes so they are going to school dirty and if they're lucky the school are washing their clothes for them. 'I had one child tell me about his shame because he couldn't have his friends round because in the night rats came and bit his face.' The report was commissioned by the Government as it works on developing a strategy to tackle child poverty. A child poverty taskforce had been due to report back in the spring but this has been delayed to the autumn. READ MORE: What we learned about Labour from new poll of 7000 voters Alongside the Children's Commissioners of the other three UK nations, de Souza has called for the UK Government to scrap the two-child cap, which prevents most families from claiming benefits for children above their first two. This would cost the UK Government about £3.4 billion per year and lift 500,000 children out of poverty, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank. Around 1.6 million children live in families affected by the cap, according to the Department for Work and Pensions. (Image: PA) Kirsty Blackman (above), the SNP's work and pensions spokesperson, said: 'This report shows just how far broken, Brexit Britain has fallen and stands as a damning indictment of Westminster – England's Children's Commissioner has described Dickensian levels of poverty and she is absolutely categorical that the two-child cap must go. 'The SNP Scottish Government has taken decisive action to end the two-child cap yet despite commissioning this report, it seems the UK Labour Government will ignore the warnings and leave thousands of children in poverty. 'If the Labour Government copied SNP Scottish Government action on child poverty, 2.3m families would be lifted out of poverty – that means ending the two-child cap, abolishing the bedroom tax and matching the Scottish Child Payment, something which you'd expect from any government serious about ending child poverty.' A UK Government spokesperson told the BBC ministers were "determined to bring down child poverty" and pointed to a £1bn package of support, including funding to feed the poorest children outside of term time.
Daily Record
07-07-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Rutherglen's MSP welcomes major expansion of free school meals as Trinity High pupils take part in the project's pilot
Clare Haughey is "absolutely delighted" the school in her constituency is playing such a key role. Rutherglen's MSP has welcomed a major expansion of free school meals as Trinity High pupils take part in the project's pilot. Clare Haughey is "absolutely delighted" the school in her constituency is playing such a key role. South Lanarkshire is one of eight councils selected to take part in the Test of Change phase of the Scottish Government's Free School Meal expansion, running from next month to July 2026. The move will see over 400 more young people in the area benefit from a free, nutritious meal every school day, helping families save money and ensuring no child goes hungry. Trinity High School in Rutherglen is one of the schools involved in the most recent expansion, which builds upon the Scottish Government's existing provision of free meals to all pupils in P1 to P5, and all eligible pupils in P6 to S6, with more than 230,000 children across Scotland already benefiting. Clare Haughey MSP told Lanarkshire Live: "I'm absolutely delighted that Trinity High School has been chosen to take part in this pilot. "It means that even more young people in our community will have access to a free, healthy meal each day - and that's a game changer for many families. "At a time when household budgets are under real pressure, this is practical support that makes a real difference. "It's also about fairness, and making sure every child has the same chance to thrive in school." Ms Haughey added: "Councils were asked to identify schools which already have the capacity in place to deliver these additional meals. "The increase in cooking and preparation requires adequate space and staffing levels, and so not every school could accommodate this. "I have, therefore, written to the council to learn more about capacity in other local schools, and to hear about what work is being doing to increase this capacity, to accommodate any future expansion after the pilot phase." If your child attends Trinity High, is in S1-S3, and you receive the Scottish Child Payment, you can apply for free meals using the council's online form at Families who already receive free school meals do not have to reapply. *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
