Scottish Greens call for more ambition to tackle poverty
The Scottish Government must go further to stem the rising tide of poverty, the Scottish Greens have said.
At FMQs, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie raised warnings about rising poverty, exacerbated by the pandemic.
He called for rent controls and actions to tackle low pay and the costs of transport, energy bills and gaps in the social security system.
Patrick Harvie said: “The Scottish Government has eye-catching targets on child poverty, but even before the pandemic we were on track to miss them.
“That’s why the First Minister needs to show more ambition to support the household incomes of those in most need, whether that means rent controls, expanding free public transport and school meals, investing to cut energy bills, reconsidering its position on public sector pay, or providing an uplift on the Scottish Child Payment.”