"The Scottish Government has brought forward a brand new benefit for eligible families of £10 a week for every child under 16. For children under 6 the benefit will start to be paid by early  2021 with the Scottish Child Payment. There are around 4 million children in the UK living in poverty. In Scotland there are approximately 230,000 children living in poverty. The Alston report made it clear that the appalling levels of poverty in the UK were the result of the austerity driven agenda brought in firstly by the LibDem/Conservative Coalition Government and then by successive Conservative Governments. A ‘Harsh & Uncaring’ UK – The Alston Report A string of welfare ‘reforms’ and the introduction of Universal Credit has made it extremely difficult for many people, including those with young families, just to get by on a daily basis. The Scottish Government has attempted to mitigate these policies and have introduced a series of payments to support people when they need it. The new payment for children will be fully delivered by the end of 2022. The payment will be monthly and linked to inflation."
https://theorkneynews.scot

Professor Alston lays the blame for the appalling levels of poverty in the UK firmly with the austerity agenda driven by successive UK Governments since 2010 – so that’s both Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs who in a coalition pact went about destroying the ‘social safety‘ net of the UK’s welfare system.......

14 million people in the UK are today living in poverty that’s 1/5 of the population. And of that number 1.5 million cannot even afford the basics to survive. This is a UK state, which despite being the 5th largest economy in the world, is not just failing its people, it is destroying the very fabric of society.
https://theorkneynews.scot

"Public spending on care for the elderly and disabled is much higher in Scotland and Wales than England, figures show. In England, £310 per person is spent each year on services such as care homes and home help for daily tasks such as washing and dressing. But in Scotland, £445 is spent – 43% more than in England – and in Wales it is £414 – 33% more. The analysis has been produced by the Health Foundation using official spending and population data."
https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com

Scotland has 6,409 firefighters while England has 35,620. So, England has 10 times the population but only 5.5 times the number of firefighters. Before the Tory cuts, the ratio would have been 7 times as opposed to 10 times. Bearing in mind Scotland’s larger area per head of population, that might not seem unreasonable.
https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com