Sturgeon Insists Cost of Living Crisis will be Scottish Government’s Top Priority

First minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that taking steps to tackle the cost of living crisis will be her top priority as MSPs return to Edinburgh for a new session of the Scottish parliament.

She’s explained that introducing new measures designed to support people struggling to make ends meet and to manage their debts will be “front and centre” for her government this autumn.

Millions of households across Scotland are seeing their finances hammered by inflationary pressures and huge numbers of people are falling further into debt as the cost of living continues to climb.

Ms Sturgeon has highlighted some of the steps her government has taken in recent years to help low-income households but also insisted that the UK government should be doing more to support people across the country.

“The steps we outline this week will build on the actions we have already taken with the limited powers of the Scottish parliament,” she said.

“Such as the Scottish Child Payment, the Carers Allowance Supplement and the Council Tax Reduction scheme.

“However, the key levers in this crisis remain in the hands of the Tories at Westminster – a government which has been in hibernation over the summer as the Tory faithful choose who will be the fourth prime minister in six years.”

Ms Sturgeon has said that the UK government’s lack of action on the cost of living crisis over the summer added to the anxiety that households and businesses have been feeling throughout Scotland.

“It has been a dereliction of duty which people will neither forgive nor forget,” she said in advance of MSPs returning to Holyrood.

StepChange, the debt help charity, recently noted that the cost of living crisis is increasingly driving new people to contact its representatives in search of advice on dealing with problem debts.

The charity also reported evidence that energy debt has been growing across the UK even during the warm summer months when energy use is generally much lower than in winter.

“Our next prime minister must hit the ground running with a set of bold measures that catches millions of households before they fall into fuel poverty, problem debt and destitution,” said Phil Andrew, StepChange’s chief executive.  

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