Life of Poverty for Over a Third of Glasgow's Children

The End Child Poverty campaign group has published a statistical map that tells us that over a third of children in Glasgow (35%) are living in poverty.  The overall Scottish figure is reported as being one in five children.

The map highlights hotspot areas as the west of Scotland, Edinburgh, Dundee, Fife, Aberdeen and Stirling, however, six areas with the highest levels of child poverty are in Glasgow.  The Glasgow North East constituency is listed as the 11th highest in the UK at 44% and Springburn is reported as having 52% of children living in poverty .

The figures are based on the UK Child Poverty Act definition where a child is classed as living in poverty if they are in families on out of work benefits or work tax credits where income is less than 60% of the UK average - before housing costs.  

The Scottish Government’s current target is that by 2020 less than 10 per cent of children should be living in relative poverty, however, campaigners are concerned that the numbers are more likely to spiral in the current economic climate.

Visit the End Child Poverty website to find out more about what you can do to support the campaign either as an individual or as an organisation.

Sources:  End Child Poverty,  BBC, Scotsman

Tags: Cuts, Policy, Poverty, Welfare