by David Nicholson

THREE-QUARTERS of the Welsh public want the next Welsh government to lift children out of poverty, a Unison Cymru Wales survey revealed today.

The public service union is calling on the next Welsh government to address the issue of child poverty through investment in public services and high-quality council and social housing.

One in three children in Wales live in poverty, according to the Joseph Rowntree Trust.

Unison Wales regional secretary Karen Loughlin said: “Inequality has grown during the pandemic. 

“Across Wales people are trapped in poverty. It causes them great distress, stunts ambitions and leaves talent untapped. 

“We are failing thousands of children and we must do better than this.”

Unison released the finding of a Savanta ComRes poll of 1,021 people in support of its priority to tackle inequality in its Senedd campaigning.

In its election campaign, Plaid Cymru is offering targeted payments of £10 a week to families living below the poverty line, rising to £35 a week before the end of the next Senedd term as part of its commitment to eradicate child poverty.

Plaid Cymru Senedd candidate for Caerphilly Delyth Jewell said: “It is a national scandal that one in three Welsh children live in poverty.

“The best way in the short term to lift a child out of poverty is to give her or his parents money.”

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: “We have fought tooth and nail against the Tories’ brutal cuts to welfare, which are the root cause of poverty.

“Welsh Labour is using our devolved powers to deliver free school meals, and provide funding to families in need.

“We will give everyone under the age of 25 the guaranteed offer of a job, training or self-employment and we will put in place the biggest educational catch-up programme ever seen in Wales to ensure the pandemic leaves nobody behind.” 

The Unison poll also showed that a majority of people think good access to key public services promotes equality in communities and want better access to social care, youth clubs and leisure centres.

“Well-funded public services like youth clubs, leisure centres, libraries and social care could help reduce inequality within communities in Wales,” Mr Loughlin added.

“We need them back at the heart of communities. These need to be the priorities of the next Welsh government.”