As Scotland continues to face a cost of living crisis, the current high levels of inflation, although they are coming down, have disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable in society and have heaped more pressure on our public services. The Scottish Government recognises the pressure on household budgets, which is why, since 2022-23, we have continued to allocate around £3 billion a year to policies that help to tackle poverty and protect people as far as possible during the cost of living crisis.

We have consistently called on the United Kingdom Government to provide additional support to help people with the cost of living crisis, but the Chancellor of the Exchequer has failed to deploy the full range of powers that are available to him to make the difference that would be required.