More than one in four parents of children aged 18 or under in Scotland have struggled to provide sufficient food for their children in the past 12 months due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. This grim finding has been revealed by Barnardo’s after the charity commissioned a Scotland-wide survey.
This is a rise of 8% since October 2022 when parents were surveyed for Barnardo’s by YouGov, suggesting the impact of the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit families who are struggling to afford to keep the power on and the fridge stocked.
As well as 27% of Scottish parents of children aged 18 or under revealing to struggles with providing food for their children, 54% of the same group claimed that they had to reduce their spending on food costs to save money over the same period. Meanwhile, 7% of parents claim to having to use a food bank in the past year, as a direct result of cost-of-living challenges.
Barnardo’s in Scotland exposed the shameful picture as the colder weather and long nights approach with many families unable to afford to put enough food on the table or keep the electricity meter topped up. The charity is calling on government to act urgently to end child poverty – starting with lifting the two-child limit on benefits.
Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, said:
For too many children this winter, they and their families will be struggling to get by. It means worrying about being able to put the lights or heating on, having hot meals or being able to contact their friends. It means worrying about where the next meal will come from and what the future holds. It was extremely disappointing that the latest Programme for Government rows back on the commitment to expand free school meals to all Primary 6 and 7 pupils and failed to further increase the Scottish Child Payment. Without this crucial assistance, we know that the child poverty reduction targets will be much harder to meet.
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