Politics: Taking positive action to help parents
I was pleased Aberdeenshire Council has decided to commission consultants to undertake a comprehensive review of options for the development of an active travel route linking Oldmeldrum, Inverurie and Daviot.
This is important, because we know projects like this can be beneficial not just in terms of reducing carbon emissions but also in encouraging recreational opportunities that can help boost local economies.
A pathway for walkers and cyclists that links Oldmeldrum, Daviot and Inverurie has been a key priority for many people living in the community for more than 20 years.
This review is hopefully a positive step in the right direction.
To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, First Minister Humza Yousaf announced £16million of additional investment to enable people delivering funded early learning and childcare in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) childcare sectors, to be paid at least £12 per hour from April 2024.
Evidence shows that a lack of affordable and accessible childcare for many women with children will result in too many women leaving the workforce, working part time or taking up work in inflexible employment which pays less and doesn’t make best use of their skills.
In Aberdeenshire, we’ve seen this challenge come up with the decision by the council to axe out-of-school care across a number of sites with a recent report from the Axis Network warning of the impact this will have – mainly on women – working in the energy sector who may now have to leave their jobs.
Supporting families is not only fundamentally the right thing to do, it is critical – affordable and accessible childcare supports female employment and enables secure, sustainable employment.
More than 30,000 families in Aberdeenshire have benefitted from the baby box since it was launched in 2017.
The baby box was introduced by the Scottish Government to provide families with access to essentials for when a baby is born.
Over 292,000 baby boxes have been delivered to expectant parents across Scotland - providing them with around £420 worth of essential items for their newborn.
The baby box has always been a provision I have been passionate about. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting Scotland's young people from birth to ensure that they have a secure and healthy start to life - a policy which is having a significant positive influence on the health outcomes of Scottish infants.
Recent analysis has shown that the Scottish Government's approach to supporting infants and young people is having significantly positive health outcomes - and the baby box is helping contribute to that.
It is also one of the actions from the SNP Government which is ensuring that 100,000 children are lifted out of poverty this year.
