The calls from campaigners come ahead of May's local elections.

Child poverty campaigners have today published a manifesto outlining the action needed if councils are to play their full part in ending child poverty in Scotland. 

The manifesto has been published ahead of local elections on May 5, and has been set out by End Child Poverty members. 

The group in Scotland include Aberlour, Action for Children, Barnardos, Child Poverty Action Group, Close the Gap, Children 1st, Children in Scotland, Engender, Home Start, One Parent Families Scotland, Oxfam Scotland, Parenting Across Scotland, Poverty Alliance, the Trussell Trust and Save the Children.

The campaigners’ manifesto calls on prospective councillors to commit to ensuring robust, time-bound plans are in place to tackle child poverty at local level, with local powers used to deliver more cash support to families. 

An adequate supply of affordable, secure, good quality family housing should also be provided, according to the charities and campaign groups, with fair work employment opportunities for all parents, with a focus on women, single parents, disabled people and Black and minority ethnic parents. 

Calls have also been made for economic development investment decisions help tackle the drivers of child poverty, better access to high quality, affordable, accessible and flexible funded childcare to enable parents, particularly mothers, to access the labour market and increase their working hours, and for investment in holistic family support to be prioritised. 

Finally, the manifesto includes demands for financial barriers to education to be removed, with data sharing improved to help make sure families get the support they are entitled to. 

A spokesperson for End Child Poverty members in Scotland said: “With one in four of Scotland’s children still locked in poverty and hard up families now brutally exposed to massive hikes in the price of basic essentials councils have a key role to play in ending child poverty. It is vital that all council candidates now commit to taking action to help end child poverty following next month’s elections.”

They added: “Child poverty can be solved, but it will need action at every level of government. Councils must use all policy levers to their fullest to ensure families have the resources they need to give their children a decent start in life. 

“Economic development, employment, education, transport, housing and childcare policies must be developed with the goal of preventing and ending child poverty at their heart. 

“Action is needed from all incoming councillors to get money into families’ pockets and ensure children are able to grow up free from poverty.”