Pal Chidambaram, Reform UK candidate for Scottish Parliament for the Midlothian North Constituency.
This View has been written by Pal Chidambaram, Reform UK candidate for the Midlothian North Constituency in the Scottish Parliamentary elections - 7th May 2026.I am a former Bank of England Economic Policy Advisor and the Reform UK candidate for Scottish Parliament for Midlothian.
With nearly 5,000 children living in poverty, Midlothian ranks among the ten worst councils in Scotland. The council’s Local Child Poverty Action Report details a long list of interventions —free school meals, clothing grants, educational maintenance allowance, and Scottish Child Benefit payments. Yet despite these efforts, the trend is not pointing south.
The rate for Midlothian stood at 24.6% in 2023–24, up from 23.2% the previous year and 21.8% in 2014–15.
And Midlothian is no outlier. Across Scotland, progress has been negligible. According to the UK Government’s Social Mobility Commission, relative child poverty was 23.5% in 2023–24, barely changed from 24.6% in 2006–07.
This stagnation sits uneasily alongside the Scottish Government’s long-standing promises. Child poverty has been framed as a central mission—from the Achieving Our Potential framework in 2008, to its designation as a statutory obligation in 2017, to the introduction of the Scottish Child Benefit in 2021. The rhetoric has been strong. The results, not so impressive.
Conditions look worse on other indicators. Persistent child poverty—children living in relative poverty for three or more consecutive years—has risen from 14% in 2017 to 23% in 2023–24.
If Scotland is serious about tackling child poverty, it should look more closely at countries that have actually succeeded. Poland stands out. On the closest available equivalent EU measure, child poverty in Poland fell from around 31% in 2009 to roughly 13–14% today. This is widely recognised as one of Europe’s clearest success stories.
So why did Poland succeed where Scotland has not?
The first and most important difference is economic growth. Between 2007 and 2025, per capita income in Poland grew by 85% in real terms. In Scotland, the increase was just 10%.
Growth changes everything. In a growing economy, jobs are easier to find. Wages rise faster as employers compete for talent. There is no more effective way to reduce child poverty than enabling adults to secure stable, well-paid employment with scope for rising earnings.
Growth also expands the government’s fiscal capacity. Rising tax revenues make it easier to fund social programmes sustainably. Poland’s Family 500+ programme began as a targeted intervention but, backed by economic growth, was expanded into a universal benefit and later increased from 500 to 800 zloty.
The second difference lies in taxation. In 2009, Poland reformed its tax system to strengthen incentives and boost competitiveness. It simplified its structure from three bands—19%, 30%, and 40%—to two: 18% and 32%, and over time brought down the rates further to 12% and 32%. A simpler system, with lower rates, made work and progression more attractive and helped Poland compete with other EU economies.
Scotland has moved in the opposite direction. What was once a simple three-band system has become a six-band structure, with higher rates at the top. The result is a tax regime that is now less competitive than the rest of the UK, with meaningfully higher marginal rates.
There is a persistent belief in some political circles that ever more progressive taxation—squeezing higher earners harder—will automatically generate more revenue and reduce poverty. But people with experience in the real economy know that charging higher prices on the product sold does not always mean higher revenues. Poland recognised this. Its tax system is not among the most progressive; it raises significantly more revenue from VAT and Excise than from income tax, while income tax dominates government revenue in the UK.
The third difference is how money is spent. Poland’s net post-tax welfare spending is 19% of GDP, compared with 26% in the UK. Yet within that smaller envelope, Poland allocates 16% of its welfare budget to families and children, compared with 11% in the UK. Poland is clearly prioritising the welfare of its children more than the UK.
For Midlothian to meet its 2023–27 goal of eliminating child poverty, repeating the same approach will not be enough. It requires a Scottish government that reforms the tax system, get the spending priorities right, stimulates growth and drives job creation in and around the region.
Without that shift, the gap between ambition and reality will only continue to widen.
Written by Midlothian View Editor, Phil Bowen
The Scottish Parliament constituency boundaries are changing. The new constituency and regional boundaries will be effective at the next Scottish Parliament general election on 7 May 2026.
The Scottish Parliament has 73 constituencies and eight regions. The numbers of constituencies and regions are not changing. Of the current 73 constituencies, 42 will change boundaries, three will change in name only, and 28 will not change. Of the current eight regions, only Mid Scotland and Fife remains unchanged. Five regions will have mainly minor boundary changes, and two will have boundary changes as well as new names.
The current Midlothian North and Musselburgh constituency in the Lothian region. It will be in the new Midlothian North constituency in the Edinburgh and Lothians East region.
As a consequence Newtongrange has moved into a different Scottish Parliament constituency as it is now in Midlothian North.
You can check which constituency you are in HERE.
Chambers Institution.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Peebles Library is to temporarily close to prepare for a new chapter in the life of an historic town building.
Key dates have now been confirmed for the temporary closure and relocation of various public services in advance of the refurbishment of the Chambers Institution.
From Monday, April 13, Peebles Library will be closed to allow staff to prepare for the temporary relocation to Eddleston Primary School.
Alternative service provision will be in place from Monday, April 27 until the service and museum return to the Chambers Institution after works are complete.
Library members may return or borrow books from any other Live Borders library/scheduled mobile library visiting point or retain books to return them when the temporary mobile services start in Peebles in the week commencing April 27.
The museum closed last month for preparations to be made to move the collection into storage. Public access to the temporary Eddleston base will be by appointment only.
Live Borders will provide further updates on the temporary mobile library service arrangements, Bookbug sessions, Peoples’ Network online access and Burgh Hall activities in due course.
Scottish Borders Council’s Peebles Contact Centre will be closed on Friday, April 17 to allow for its permanent relocation to Rosetta Road. The contact centre will reopen on Monday, April 20 with opening times remaining as they are currently.
The major refurbishment of the Chambers Institution will secure its future as a vibrant cultural and heritage hub for Tweeddale and will improve accessibility, co-locate key services and enhance opportunities for residents and visitors.
Due to the refurbishment works the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) will temporarily relocate to 1-5 Newby Court, on School Brae, (to the rear of the Chambers Institution) on Monday, April 20 and will be closed to the public on that day. Normal service will resume at Newby Court on Tuesday, April 21.
Following completion of the refurbishment works, CAB will move back into a newly planned area of the Chambers Institution, with a dedicated entrance from Newby Court/School Brae.
Go Tweed Valley will temporarily relocate to Unit 1, School Brae on Friday, April 24 and will also operate as normal before moving back into the refurbished reception area of the Chambers Institution in due course. Go Tweed Valley will be closed to the public from Thursday, April 23 to Monday, April 27.
Access will be maintained throughout the works to allow the public to visit the John Buchan Museum, the War Memorial, the Burgh Hall, and the Registrar’s Office as normal.
The Chambers Institution is a Category A listed building, originally gifted to the town by William Chambers in 1859.
The refurbishment will honour its historical significance while creating a modern, accessible space for future generations.
