CROSS-PARTY consensus is a rare thing in Scottish politics. Often, our political discourse fails to reflect our values of compassion and justice. Instead, it gets bogged down in division; too frequently at the expense of people in our communities who need bold action to improve their lives.

Yet, on some issues our politicians are united. May’s Scottish Parliament elections saw Scotland’s five main political parties pledge, in their manifestos, to double the Scottish Child Payment, the new £10 per week per child benefit for low income families. In the often-rancorous world of Holyrood, this is one action all MSPs agree is the right thing to do.

But the Scottish Government have so far resisted calls – even with cross-party support – to implement the doubling now, instead only committing to it by the end of this Parliament. For the almost one in four children growing up in the grip of poverty in Scotland, that is simply too long to wait.

Even before Covid-19, families in Scotland were being swept up in a wave of poverty. But the pandemic has swelled that wave, pulling many people – particularly women, disabled people, and Black and minority ethnic people – into hardship. It has hit lone parents – the majority of whom are women – particularly hard, and with women’s poverty being inextricably linked to child poverty, the last 18 months have locked children across Scotland ever-tighter into poverty.

The duty to unlock them from that poverty does not lie solely with the Scottish Government. The UK Government’s decision to cut Universal Credit by £20 will, if it goes ahead as planned in September, be a cruel injustice. But just as the UK Government has a moral responsibility to do the right thing and scrap the cut, Scottish Government ministers have a moral responsibility to use all the powers they have to loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives.

That’s why it is critical that the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, published in the coming weeks, contains a commitment to doubling the Scottish Child Payment this year. If it does, it will signal that solving poverty really is a priority.

If it doesn’t, even amid a rising tide of poverty and despite the cross-party support that exists, it will throw into question the Scottish Government’s ‘national mission’ to end child poverty. It will also not be credible, or correct, to say that every power at the Scottish Government’s disposal is being used to tackle poverty.

The decision over whether to double the Scottish Child Payment now, or in several years’ time, is ultimately a question of priorities. Will we continue to accept the scandalous levels of poverty that are impacting the lives and life chances of so many? Or do we want to prioritise action that will lift children out of poverty, and ensure a more just Scotland emerges from the pandemic?

It’s really no question at all. Children across Scotland growing up in poverty cannot wait until the end of this Parliament. The Scottish Child Payment must be doubled now.

Neil Cowan, Policy and Campaigns Manager, Poverty Alliance