Child poverty targets now appear impossible to meet

ONE in every six Scots still lives in poverty, according to figures published yesterday.

The latest statistics showed that 17 per cent of Scots in 2007-8 lived in relative poverty – which includes all households with an income below 60 per cent of the average.

This is the same as the year before, despite the promises of successive administrations in London and Edinburgh to improve standards of living among the poorest in society.

The figures also showed that the proportion of pensioners in relative poverty in Scotland went up from 20 per cent to 21 per cent between 2006-7 and 2007-8. The proportion of children in this position fell by the same margin over this period.

There was further bad news from the UK figures, which revealed that nearly three million children still lived below the poverty line. The Labour government promised to halve child poverty to 1.7 million by 2010-11, but this target now appears almost impossible to achieve.

The Institute of Fiscal Studies said the figures showed inequality had risen to its highest level since 1961 and that the growth of average take-home pay had slowed even before the start of the current recession.