THE Scottish Greens’ Holyrood manifesto will pledge to boost the Scottish Child Payment to at least £55 by 2030.

Making the announcement today, co-leader Gillian Mackay pledged to immediately increase the payment targeted at families on low incomes and in receipt of other benefits. From the £28.20-a-week rate it will rise to £40 a week in April.

From there, they aim to reach the £55-a-week mark over the course of the next parliament, in a move the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has estimated would cost around £200 million.

Ms Mackay also announced they would introduce a supplementary payment aimed at combatting the age discrimination in Universal Credit, which sees parents under 25 entitled to less than their older counterparts.

She said: “Scotland is a wealthy country, but thousands of children are still growing up in totally avoidable poverty. That is a political choice, and it is one the Greens are determined to change.

“As the cost of food, fuel, heating and the other daily essentials keeps rising, far too many families are being left struggling to make ends meet.

“The Scottish Greens are proud to have been part of the government that more than doubled the payment.

“It has already made a real difference to families across Scotland, but with so many households still under huge pressure, we need to go further and faster.

“While others talk around child poverty, the Scottish Greens are backing direct support that can make an immediate difference in people’s lives.”

SNP MSP Fulton MacGregor responded: “Policies introduced by the SNP — including the Scottish Child Payment — see Scotland have the lowest levels of child poverty on these islands.

“There is still much work to be done, which is why we have recently increased the SCP for children under one and set out transformative plans to extend childcare for every child from nine months until the end of primary school, all year round, meaning every family gets financial support.”

Scottish Labour social justice spokesperson Claire Baker added: “Scottish Labour is committed to protecting the Scottish Child Payment, but we need to go further and do more to tackle the root causes of poverty.

“While the Greens make unfunded promises to families, Scottish Labour is determined to work across government to address the underlying drivers of poverty.”