​Glasgow has highest levels of poverty in Scotland

Deprivation affects young people living in every part of Scotland campaigners have warned.

With new figures showing one in three children in Glasgow living in poverty, urgent action is needed says campaign group End Child Poverty.

The coalition of charities has produced a map showing the level of poverty in all 32 council areas.

Gasgow has the highest level of childhood deprivation (34%), followed by North Ayrshire (29%), Dundee (28%) and Inverclyde (26%).

Since the introduction of the benefit freeze, the coalition of charities, faith groups and unions has warned that as prices rise, low income families would find it increasingly hard to pay for the same basic essentials.

John Dickie, director of the Child Poverty Action Group, said: "It is scandalous that across Scotland so many of our children are growing up in poverty.

"There can be little doubt that the UK Government's policy of maintaining the benefits freeze despite rising prices is a major contributor to the emerging child poverty crisis."

"It is now vital that local and national government in Scotland use every tool at their disposal to make sure these plans make a real difference to families," he added.

Yesterday TFN published a report by Oxfam warning the poorest Scots are suffering as a result of "yawning inequality", with the richest 1% wealthier than the bottom 50%.

Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance, added: "Child poverty really is a problem for the whole of Scottish society - these figures show that no part of Scotland is free from the scar of child poverty.

"Whilst the problem of child poverty is a complex one, we know that solutions exist."

Shetland came second among the areas with the lowest child poverty in the UK with 9%, behind the Isles of Scilly with 5%.

Households are considered to be living in poverty if their income - adjusted to account for household size - is less than 60% of the average.

All poverty rates are calculated after housing costs.

Satwat Rehman, director of One Parent Families Scotland, added: “It is shameful that, in a country as wealthy as Britain, so many children live in poverty. Sadly children in single parent families face a particularly high risk of poverty compared with other households.

"We call for a UK social security system which is fit for purpose – one that is linked to financial need, removes benefit sanctions and genuinely makes work pay. In particular, universal credit must be reformed to ensure financial security for families.”