New Scottish Child Payment benefit could be 'lifeline' for more than 3100 Moray children aged under six
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MORE than 3100 young children across Moray could benefit from the Scottish Government’s new "lifeline" anti-poverty payment from February, figures show.
Announced in June last year, the Scottish Child Payment is central to the government’s ambitions to tackle child poverty.
The benefit, worth £10 per week per child for low-income families, will be introduced for under-sixes early next year, with a plan to roll out the scheme to families with children under 16 by the end of 2022.
Demand is expected to be high for the scheme, which will open for applications in November, with the first payments beginning from the end of February next year.
Latest figures from the Scottish Fiscal Commission estimate that 194,000 children aged under six in Scotland will be eligible for the new payment – with more than 3100 children and families estimated to benefit in Moray.
The payment is being described as a "game changer" by anti-poverty campaigners.
Moray SNP MSP Richard Lochhead said: "The Scottish Child Payment is an ambitious and ground-breaking new benefit which will directly tackle child poverty across the country.
"This support is needed more than ever, and when this additional £10 per week per child becomes available in February, it will be a lifeline for many families in Moray.
"It will help reduce financial pressures and demonstrates the potential of social security to make a positive difference and reflect our society’s shared values of compassion and fairness."
He added: "Tory cuts are driving too many families in Moray into poverty – but the SNP is determined to use every power at our disposal to help families make ends meet."
One Parent Families Scotland chief executive Satwat Rehman said: "The new Scottish Child Payment from the Scottish Government will make a world of difference to low-income families, many of whom were struggling to cover living costs even before the pandemic."
The plan was delayed by two months due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
