麻豆约拍

In the lead up to the Scottish parliament elections we've heard a lot about the economy, the NHS, education and independence. But there's another issue that all parties agree needs urgent action, the number of children living in poverty.

The problem's been getting worse for more than a decade. In the latest figures which cover the year before the pandemic started, there were 260,000 children living below the poverty line.

Four years ago, the Scottish parliament passed the Child Poverty Act, setting itself targets on the issue.

The aim is to reduce the number of children living in poverty to 18% by 2024, and to 10% by 2031. Yet the Scottish government's own forecasts suggest it could be as high as 38% in a decade's time.