5,930 Local Children Better Off
Graeme has welcomed new figures that reveal 5,930 children across Angus are being supported by the Best Start Foods and Best Start Grant payments from the Scottish Government.
Since the SNP government’s introduction of the Best Start Grant in 2018, and of Best Start Foods 2019, £130 million has been paid in support for pregnancy and the early years of raising a family – equating to 1.7 million Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods payments Scotland-wide.
These payments are part of the five key benefits that families may be entitled to from Social Security Scotland – the Best Start Grant being comprised of three one-off payments, while Best Start Foods is a prepaid card which can be used to buy healthy foods.
Families who qualify for the Scottish Child Payment are now automatically awarded Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age Payments when their child becomes eligible. Both are one-off payments of £294.70 to help eligible families as their child grows up, with things like clothes, travel, stationery or toys for home learning.
From November 2022 until June 2023 14,825 Early Learning Payments and 23,810 School Age Payments were made. In the first six months of this year, payments worth £2,424,057 have been made to families in Angus.
I am very pleased that these unique devolved support payments are helping so many children and families here in Angus at a time of great need.
GRAEME
People are still struggling through the Tory cost-of-living crisis, and these payments critical financial assistance at key stages of children’s lives.
This SNP Scottish Government is determined to end cycles of poverty and eliminate child poverty in Scotland, and this is a further demonstration of that commitment – following the increase and expansion of the game-changing Scottish Child Payment.
It remains the case, however, that the Scottish Government’s ambitions are hampered by successive UK Governments actively exacerbating poverty, and that we could go so much further with the full powers of a normal, independent country.
