Council leader brands Edinburgh child poverty levels “unacceptable”

Jane Meagher, Edinburgh Council leader, recently called child poverty levels “unacceptable”, after the 2026 End Poverty Annual Conference.   

Following this, she has called for action on child poverty in the city where approximately one in five children are affected.

Campaigners from The Poverty Alliance gathered for the End Poverty Annual Conference. Since 2020, the group has been working to highlight the lived experiences of those in poverty across Edinburgh and campaign for the government to implement policies that can work to fix these injustices.

Poverty levels are a key concern for those in power across Edinburgh and Scotland. Jane Meagher, councillor for ward 17, attended this conference and expressed her concern, stating that the levels of poverty are “unacceptable” and that “tackling the root causes of poverty and inequality continues to be a key priority.” 

This conference was held as part of Challenge Poverty Week 2026, coordinated by The Poverty Alliance. Events and talks were held for those to come together and discuss their ideas for addressing poverty and inequality.

Jane emphasised that across the entire region, 80,000 people live in poverty. In Edinburgh, this extends to one in five children who live in poverty. 

The Edinburgh Poverty Commission published a report in 2020, ‘A Just Capital: Actions to End Poverty in Edinburgh.’ Following this, Edinburgh Council has taken this into consideration and published seven priorities in their Councils’ Business Plan.

Their priorities include:

1. On track to end poverty in Edinburgh by 2030 by meeting the targets set by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission
2. On track to deliver new prevention service models
3. More residents experience fair work and receive the living wage
4. Intervene before the point of crisis to prevent homelessness
5. Ongoing delivery of our 20,000 affordable homes programme
6. Increasing attainment for all and reducing the poverty-related attainment gap
7. Edinburgh’s economy recovers from recession and supports businesses to thrive

Lorna Slater, the MSP for Edinburgh Central, is responsible for representing voices across the constituency.

Slater was asked about how the government has responded to Child Poverty Levels.

Most Read

Traitor Maya Jama outed herself at breakfast, and we (and the Faithfuls) didn’t catch it

I knew about Sebastian, but I didn’t realise that four of The Celebrity Traitors cast are queer

Former Traitors stars break the illusion of what they eat, and breakfast will never be the same

Slater told The Tab:

“Behind these missed targets are children growing up without the essentials they need, and parents going without to make sure their families can get by.

“That is the reality we must confront, and it is unacceptable in a country as wealthy as Scotland.

“I recognise that policies such as the Scottish Child Payment have made a real difference to families, and the Scottish Greens are proud of our role in delivering that progress.

“But the latest figures show that around 210,000 children in Scotland are still living in relative poverty, and the Scottish Government’s own modelling suggests it is on course to miss its 2030 target by a substantial margin.

“Poverty is the result of political choices. The Scottish Government has the powers to do more, and it must use them.

“Every child deserves to grow up warm, well fed, and with the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

“We cannot accept a situation where one child in five is growing up in poverty and simply hope that things will improve.”

The Poverty Alliance continues to work across Edinburgh to tackle poverty and campaign to the government to make more efforts to help people in poverty. 

Image: Featured image via Facebook