One Million Scots In Poverty

There were a million Scots in poverty last year, according to the latest report.

Official figures show the number of adults, and children, living below the breadline both went up by 30 thousand compared to to 2011-12.

Six in ten youngsters in poverty were from working households - more than half of adults experieced in-work poverty.

The median salary is now £23,000 - that's fallen for three years in a row.

Key points:

• 16 percent of individuals in Scotland in relative poverty in 2012/13, up from 14 percent the previous year. In 2012/13,
• There were 820 thousand individuals in Scotland in relative poverty, a rise of 110 thousand.
• 19 percent of children in Scotland in relative poverty in 2012/13, up from 15 per cent the previous year.
• There were 180 thousand children in Scotland living in relative poverty, 30 thousand more than in 2011/12.
• 15 percent of working age adults in Scotland were living in relative poverty in 2012/13, an increase from 13 per cent the previous year. In 2012/13, there were 480 thousand working age adults in Scotland living in relative poverty, 70 thousand more than in 2011/12.
• 15 percent of pensioners in Scotland were living in relative poverty in 2012/13, an increase from 14 percent the previous year.
• In 2012/13, there were 150 thousand pensioners in Scotland living in relative poverty, 10 thousand more than in 2011/12.
• Income inequality was unchanged.
• Median income in Scotland in 2012/13 was £23,000, equivalent to £440 per week, the third consecutive annual fall.
• 52 percent of working age adults in poverty were living in households where at least one adult was in employment, as were 59 per cent of children in poverty.

Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, called the results "extremely disappointing".

He said: "These are not just statistics, these are people’s lives.

“We are especially concerned that the previous downward trends in child poverty figures has been reversed. Much of this is due to the policies being pursued by the current UK Government. 

“Regressive tax policies and punitive welfare reform measures are pushing more and more people into poverty.

“People in Scotland and the UK quite simply don’t have enough money to live on.

“We need to see a meaningful increase in benefit levels and both Government’s need to do more to create quality, well paid jobs.

“It is unacceptable that over half of working age adults in poverty were in households where someone was in work, and 110 thousand children in Scotland were living in households affected by in-work poverty.

“People should not work for their poverty, and deserve to be properly paid for their work."

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there is no reason for Scots to be struggling financially: