Plaid Cymru promise action to lift 50,000 children out of poverty

Plaid Cymru have said that they would introduce a new Welsh Child Payment for low-income families and free universal childcare for all 1-3 year olds in Wales.

50,000 children would be lifted out of poverty through the introduction of a new Welsh Child Payment for low-income families, they claimed.

The party has announced that it would introduce the payment – £35 a week for every child in low-income families – if it were to form the next Welsh Government.

The payment is one of Plaid Cymru’s key policies in the general election, alongside a one-off boost of £300 million for schools and colleges in Wales “to give our children the best start in life”.

Plaid Cymru estimates that the introduction of the Welsh Child Payment would lift 50,000 children in Wales out of poverty immediately.

Alongside the Welsh Child Payment, Plaid Cymru has said that it would also introduce free universal childcare for all 1-3 years olds in Wales.

The childcare pledge forms part of Plaid Cymru’s “cradle to grave” vision of care in Wales, which also includes the introduction of free social care.

‘No excuse’

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price AM said that their goal was to ensure that no child in Wales would grow up in poverty.

“Every child deserves the best start in life, and Plaid Cymru’s goal is that no child in Wales should have to grow up living in poverty. Poverty is completely avoidable, and there can be no excuse for it. While turning the tide on child poverty is not easy, the key to it is having the necessary political will.

“We in Plaid Cymru are prioritising ending child poverty. In government, we will introduce a new Welsh Child Payment – £35 every week for every child in a low-income family. That will lift 50,000 children in Wales out of poverty immediately.

“Alongside that, we’ll give families a fair deal by introducing universal free childcare for all 1-3 year olds in Wales. The sad truth is with the Westminster parties in charge, our country finds itself in a rut of intergenerational poverty. We’ll end that.

“To end poverty and give every child in Wales the best start in life, it’s us.”

Welsh Labour have said that they will increase the minimum wage to £10 in 2020 for all employees aged 16 and over. This would benefit an additional 4.6 million employees, taking the total on this rate to 6.5 million.

They also said they would renationalise the railways and create jobs through environmental energy schemes such as the Swansea Bay lagoon project.