'Politicians need to work together to fix Scots poverty crisis'

The Joseph Rowntree report published today on poverty is another sign of cross-parliament failure. More than one million Scots are languishing in poverty, with one in four of those kids.

Work together to fix poverty crisis

One of the depressing realities of the last decade of devolution is the breakdown in relations between both governments.

Voters know the SNP and the Tories have little in common and they come from very different traditions.

But on some key issues they should have been able to put aside differences and prioritise the people of Scotland.

This simply has not happened and Scots have been let down.

Drug deaths, for instance, would be lower if the governments cooperated.

The Joseph Rowntree report published today on poverty is another sign of cross-parliament failure. More than one million Scots are languishing in poverty, with one in four of those kids.

The Tories should shoulder most of the blame having done nothing to tackle the UK’s terrible levels of inequality. They were always content for the rich to get richer while everyone else got poorer.

The SNP Government, in contrast, has always declared its wish to alleviate poverty with the Scottish Child Payment a concrete example.

But it has been accused of not going far enough to tackle deep-seated ­problems that exacerbate poverty – like poor housing and lingering inequality in educational attainment.

The advent of a Labour government should result in a reset in relations as Westminster and Holyrood are committed to poverty reduction.

In London, Keir Starmer should end the two-child cap and end the inequities of Tory benefit policies.

In Edinburgh, the SNP should build a consensus to use spare resources to increase the Scottish Child Payment and ditch the council tax freeze.

It also needs a laser-like focus on building more social housing.

Both governments need to put aside their diverging views on independence to commit to joint action.

Poverty levels in Scotland are a national tragedy and our politicians have a duty to work together to fix it.

The road to ruin

Potholes are sometimes seen as nothing more than a minor irritation for drivers.

But a new report by the AA has revealed that our broken roads are killing travellers while costing the economy £14billion a year.

The biggest group affected are cyclists, with 118 killed or injured in the last four years because of defective highways.

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Various green groups and government agencies are constantly telling us that getting on our bikes is not only good for the planet but improves our own health.

That message won’t work as long as our roads are so badly looked after.

Our roads need to be made safe for all – whether on two-wheels or four.

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