Scottish Labour: Housing crisis has pushed 50,000 children into poverty

Scotland’s housing crisis has pushed 50,000 additional children into poverty in the last three years, according to analysis from Scottish Labour.

According to the latest three-year average, 50,000 additional children are living in poverty because of high housing costs.

Analysis of the most recently produced poverty statistics shows that there were 180,000 children living in relative poverty before housing costs were taken into account in the three-year period between 2014 and 2017.

However, after housing costs have been taken into account the figure increases by 50,000, to 230,000.

Labour has proposed introducing a “Mary Barbour Law” to protect people renting in the private sector.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “The shameful levels of child poverty in this country may be driven by Tory austerity – but they are amplified by the failures of the SNP government at Holyrood. Ending the housing crisis would be a huge step towards tackling child poverty, and it is entirely within the gift of the Scottish Parliament.

“That is why, under my leadership, housing has been put front and centre of our plans to transform Scotland. Labour will argue for more innovative ways to build homes for social rent, and deliver the radical reforms the private rented sector needs to make it work for tenants.”