THE latest report into poverty and inequality tells us Scotland’s four richest families have more wealth than the poorest 20% combined.

It wouldn’t be hard because if you have next to nothing then it doesn’t matter how many of you there are, if you add it all up it still amounts to next to nothing.

And the super-rich in our society, well they wouldn’t be so super rich if there wasn’t the super-poor at the opposite end of the spectrum.

You could say it has ever been thus, but that doesn’t mean it always has to.

Governments, pretty much without exception all say they are going to tackle poverty and inequality.

Nicola Sturgeon said she should be judged on it and David Cameron this week said he would spend the rest of his time as Prime Minister dealing with it.

That would be good because, with the assistance of George Osborne and Iain Duncan Smith, he has spent most of his first five years in office contributing to it greatly.

The income of the poorest has dropped and the continuing welfare cuts are pushing more and more children into poverty at an alarming rate.

The Scottish Government says it wants to do more but needs powers from Westminster to do so.

It has spent many millions mitigating against cuts in council tax benefit and bedroom tax housing benefit arrears, to the detriment of other budgets.

But more can be done and should be done. In-work poverty has been rising with low wages, zero hours and rising bills.

It will get worse when the Tory cuts to tax credits kick in.

Paying the Living Wage, the real one not the fake George Osborne one, can help as it is a real minimum level required to live on.

The Scottish Government pays it but says EU rules mean it can’t force contractors or others to pay it.

Why not pass the law and let Brussels or whoever wants to challenge it, do so.

That’s what has happened with minimum pricing for alcohol.

There is more to poverty than welfare and the health and education budgets need to better reflect the need that exists in certain areas.

When GPs tell you there are ready to close because they can’t cope you know there is a problem. The poorest areas need a disproportionate amount of resources invested to get us out of this crisis.

The same goes for schools as education has to be the single most effective way of breaking the inter-generational poverty gap.

Poverty IS a political choice. Let’s choose to end it.