A CHARITY which supports struggling families says demand this year has jumped by 40 per cent - despite new figures recording a fall in child poverty.
Children in Poverty Inverclyde has revealed the increase in the need for their help following the release of a new study from End Child Poverty Coalition.
Their figures show child poverty in Inverclyde is at its lowest level for three years based on family income after housing costs - from a high of 26.1 per cent in 2023 to 22.4 per cent.
Council leader Stephen McCabe says they are the only local authority in Scotland to offer free school meals to all primary school children but admits with nearly one in four children living in poverty it is not good enough.
Children in Poverty Inverclyde chairman Pat Burke has warned that they are still too many families in a desperate situation.
He said: "I am not privy to where these figures come from but if child poverty is coming down to 22.4 per cent when that is good. But it is not what I find when I am out on my weekly visits in the community.
"Demand for our services has rose by 40 per this year alone. I would say that there is persistent poverty in Inverclyde.
"If the figures have dropped that is very welcome but families are facing absolute poverty in Inverclyde and I don't see it getting any better.
"Many children in Inverclyde are living in a desperate situation."
The charity regularly step into help and refer desperate parents with no money left to pay electricity bills or buy food to partners, including the HSCP.
This year alone they are sending 200 children and their families on holiday as well as organising cinema trips for 300 kids and trip to Elev8. They relying solely on donations of around £50,000 from kind-hearted supporters.
Councillor McCabe said: “The figures highlight that we are moving in the right direction and the hard work of this council alongside local and national partners is starting to bear fruit.
“But more needs to be done to not just tackle child poverty but to make it a thing of the past because in this day and age no child should be without basic essentials.
“It’s reassuring that the child poverty rate for Inverclyde is falling but this latest research shows that close to one in four children are still living in poverty and that is not something anybody should be proud of."
He says that they cannot do it alone and need more funding from both governments to put more measures in place.
The data was included in a report by the End Child Poverty Coalition of all UK local authority areas based on research by Loughborough University.
It showed that in 2024, the rate was 22.4 per cent– down 3.7 per cent from 26.1 per cent in 2023. The figure is also two per cent lower than the 24.4 per cent rate recorded in 2022.
Inverclyde Council recently opened the new £500,000 B-Hive Community Hub at Boglestone Community Centre in Port Glasgow to help with out-of-school childcare and a safe place for families.
This comes on top of other anti-poverty initiatives like free playschemes, free swimming for under 16s, Inverclyde Warm Hand of Friendship, as well as food pantries and food growing projects.
Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, highlighted 5,365 children and young people in Inverclyde were actively benefiting from the Scottish Child Payment at the end of March.
He said: “Under John Swinney’s leadership, the SNP has made eradicating child poverty its number one priority – with Scotland the only part of the UK where child poverty is expected to fall as a direct result of SNP policies.
“These latest figures show the real difference that the Scottish Child Payment is making to families in Inverclyde.
“In sharp contrast, the UK Labour Government’s continued dithering on child poverty, and political decision to punish the most vulnerable in society by cutting benefits for disabled people is pushing thousands of more children into poverty."
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