The Church of Scotland is backing a new campaign urging the Scottish Government to raise child benefit by £5 per person per week.

The Give Me Five campaign, officially launched at the end of August, urges the Government to use its new powers to vary welfare payments. Campaigners say the £5 increase would lift 30,000 children out of poverty.

The Moderator of the General Assembly, the Rt Rev Dr Derek Browning, said: “It is a political, social and moral imperative that we act now to effect change for the good. “The Church of Scotland stands alongside people of all faith traditions, and none, in the move towards fairness for all our children.”

Give Me Five is backed by organisations including the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, the Poverty Alliance and Children 1st.

The Rt Rev William Nolan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Galloway, who is also supporting the campaign, said: “For a growing number of children, this is not the Scotland of equality, fairness and opportunity that our politicians tell us they wish to achieve. I would urge politicians of all parties to support this initiative and act now to reduce the number of our children for whom poverty is destroying their childhood and stifling their future.”

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