THIS week the Evening Times has been taking a look at some of the measures put in place across the city to help tackle poverty.

The bottom line is too many people do not have enough money to live on. Not just survive but have a decent standard of living without fear of falling into rent arrears, worrying about paying for gas and electricity or worst of all, being unable to properly feed their children.

The causes of poverty however, are myriad and in trying to break the cycle is where long term efforts, financial resource and strategic planning is required.

There are signs educational attainment is improving, but it must translate into access to secure jobs that pay the Living Wage.

Housing for many has improved but conditions in the private rented sector are taking many families back to the bad old days of slum landlordism.

Again there are efforts, including compulsory purchase of flats from the worst offenders and the Private Rented Sector hub to try and get support to vulnerable tenants.

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But right now, more than 30,000 children are being raised in poverty and sadly it is going to get worse. The researchers know it, with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimating up to 50,000 children in poverty in Glasgow in five years.

And the council leader knows it. Susan Aitken admitted that just now it is about keeping people afloat.

The council is spending millions on mitigation of welfare reform now and in early intervention strategies looking to the future.

But it is at higher levels of Government where the real benefits can be delivered.

With pressure on council budgets the SNP administration shouldn’t be holding back in asking for more cash from Holyrood because, while the effect of poverty is the same on a family in Glasgow as it is in the Highlands, there are more people suffering in the city, so there is a greater need.

If anything they should be making more of a case as it could be expected an SNP council would get a better hearing from an SNP Government. If it is needed then it must be asked for.

The Scottish Government can do more now. The new income supplement can be delivered quicker. It is no comfort to a mum in a low paid zero hours contract job that help is coming in 2021.

If it can be implemented sooner then it absolutely should be.

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The Scottish Government now has the power to top up child benefit.

The argument that it would give benefit to those who do not need it shouldn’t mean that those who desperately need it have to go without. If that was the case there would be no free prescriptions.

Then there is the UK Government. The Tory leadership debate this week should scare the living daylights out of people in Glasgow.

A no deal Brexit will do serious damage to the city on top of the loss of European funding that has helped so many social regeneration projects over the years.

Then there are plans for tax cuts for the highest earners. Which means less money coming in to the Treasury, so less going out and you would have had to be living on the Moon not to realise that the first budgets to get cut are public services and welfare.

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Poverty in this city is shameful and every level of government should be challenged to reduce it and then wipe it out completely.