Doubt has been cast on claims by Dundee City Council that child poverty rates have reduced.
The council’s latest figures taken from March 2021 show 22.5% of children — almost one in four — are in poverty in the city.
The figure is down from the 27% reported in the previous year.
Council leader John Alexander described the local stats as “encouraging” but stressed much more needs to be done.
Child poverty a real concern
Faisal Hussein, CEO of Yusuf Youth Initiative, which runs Dundee’s Taught by Muhammad Foodbank, said he is concerned poverty is actually getting worse.
“We don’t see poverty getting any better here, in fact, we’re probably seeing it get worse”, he said.
“I would take the statistics with a pinch of salt and I would like to see how they have been obtained.
“If you look at the situation, what has actually happened for poverty to get better?”
Analysis by the Resolution Foundation suggests across Scotland the rate could be as high as 29% by 2023-24 — the highest figure in over 20 years.
And Dundee actor Brian Cox has spoken of his anger at the high levels of poverty seen currently in the city on a recent visit for a Channel 5 documentary.
In the show, which airs on Thursday night, Cox describes the situation as “f****** painful” said it reminds him of his own experience living in “destitution” in Dundee as a youngster.
The council is required to publish an annual report on child poverty and, like nationally in Scotland, is aiming to reduce the rate to less than 10% by 2030.
The latest figures come from its Fairness and Local Child Poverty report published this week and due to be discussed by councillors at the policy and resources committee on Monday.
The report acknowledges the latest figure may be inaccurate and says child poverty may actually be higher due to difficulties collecting data during the pandemic.
Mr Hussein added: “When these figures were obtained, many people were on furlough and generally expenditure was much lower because there wasn’t much for people to do during Covid.
“When we look at the situation now though, many more people are struggling with energy costs and inflation.”
Council leader determined to fight poverty
Speaking on the the report, John Alexander said: “It is encouraging to see that fewer and fewer children year on year are experiencing poverty in our communities, but there is still a long way to go in the next six years to meet the ambitious targets we have committed to.
“That is why as well as looking back, this report also lays out the next steps in our fight against poverty on three broad fronts – income from employment, costs of living, and income from social security and benefits in kind.”
Following a Dundee Partnership Cost of Living summit held in the city last month, a follow-up meeting is to take place on November 23.
Key agencies and organisations from across the city already co-ordinating a range of initiatives to support people will discuss additional ways to help.
Areas of focus include food, heat and energy, clothing, advice and information.
Mr Alexander added: “The commitment of everyone involved has been tremendous, and I know there is great work going on to help people in urgent need.
“We’ve got national agencies, local agencies, charities, colleges and universities, the business sector and more all working in partnership.
“The purpose of this follow-up summit is to keep up the momentum – to assess the progress so far and identify any areas for further work in our collective support for the city.
“We want to make sure that we are doing everything possible. By working together, I firmly believe that we can help citizens across all of our communities who are wrestling with this unprecedented crisis.”
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