Aberlour’s response to the Scottish budget
Today, Tuesday 19th December 2023, the Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robinson announced the Scottish Government’s budget for the next financial year in Parliament. Read Aberlour CEO, SallyAnn Kelly OBE’s, response.
“During his campaign to become First Minister earlier this year Humza Yousaf committed to increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £30 per week.
“It is very disappointing not to see that commitment realised in today’s Scottish Budget.
“The cost of living crisis continues to hit the poorest the hardest and rising energy bills and food prices will only make things even harder for struggling families in the coming months.
“Increasing the value of the Scottish Child Payment only in line with inflation will not provide families with enough to mitigate ever more financial strain.
“Failure to respond to the calls of more than 150 organisations and campaigners to raise the Scottish Child Payment to £30 per week is a missed opportunity to keep Scotland on track to meet our child poverty targets and to lift more children and families out of poverty.
“We welcome the commitments to end school meal debt for this year – an issue Aberlour has long campaigned on – and to extending free school meal eligibility to all primary school children whose families receive the Scottish Child Payment.
“However, ending school meal debt for good will require a commitment that goes beyond a “one-off” fund, as well as increasing income thresholds for free school meal eligibility to benefit all low income families in Scotland and prevent school meal debt from occurring altogether.
“Nonetheless, we know the best way to prevent families experiencing debt is to make sure they have enough money to provide for themselves in the first place.
“Therefore, we continue to urge the First Minister to live up to his commitment to tackle child poverty and put more money in families’ pockets by increasing the Scottish Child Payment even further at the earliest opportunity.”
SallyAnn Kelly OBE
Aberlour CEO