The Church of Scotland has welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement that the Scottish Child Payment will be doubled to £20 a week.

It supported the campaign calling for action led by the Poverty Alliance and Child Poverty Action Group.

Lord Wallace, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said:

“We are delighted that the Scottish Government has made the right decision and announced that the Scottish Child Payment will be doubled to £20 per week per child from April 2022.

“This is a step in the right direction to loosening the grip of poverty on low income families and all the organisations that have been campaigning for this much needed action must be congratulated for their hard work.

“The early leaders of the Church of Scotland were committed to ensuring there was a ‘school in every parish’ to provide the opportunity for children to reach their full potential and today our vision is nothing less than the eradication of child poverty.”