Bridging the gap

Six out of 10 children in poverty are from families where at least one adult is employed but exacerbated by low wages and rising costs of living. Scotland’s poorest households have seen the largest decrease in income with the equivalent of £20 a week.

Inverclyde contains a disproportionate number of the poor, the vulnerable and the desperate. Child poverty in Inverclyde  is at an all  time high of 26%,increased from 24% in 2011 making the district joint 4th poorest council area in Scotland.

The Foodbank distributed  3 day emergency food parcels to 891 local children in severe poverty, an increase of 500 from the previous year.

None of these 891 children will enjoy a family holiday. We risk creating a situation where poverty is so stark that children grow up in parallel worlds where rich and poor families have entirely different lifestyles that are poles apart.

Inverclyde is amongst the highest areas for deprivation in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) statistics.

READ MORE