THE number of households with children where no one is working is falling in both Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire.

New Government figures show a steady decline, with the number in East Renfrewshire at around 1,000, the lowest in Scotland.

Renfrewshire’s figure for workless households where at least one child is under 16 stands at 2,000, down by half from 2013.

Figures for all workless households show there were 9,000 in Renfrewshire last year, a big drop from 15,000 2011.

In East Renfrewshire, that figure was 3,000 - down from 4,000 in 2011.

Both councils have welcomed the reductions, with Renfrewshire Council saying a number of council initiatives have helped. 

A spokesperson said: “We are pleased to note the number of workless households in Renfrewshire has fallen so significantly, and that we have closed the gap on the UK average.

“Our Invest in Renfrewshire programme to boost the local economy and help people find work saw the area go from having one of Scotland’s highest youth unemployment rates to one of its lowest in recent years.

“Our Tackling Poverty and Families First programmes continue to target practical support to some of the people most in need of help around areas including employment, while our work to close the attainment gap in schools has drawn national attention and improved the job prospects of children from poorer areas.”

Jamie Hepburn, minster for business, fair work and skills, said the number of workless households in Scotland had fallen for the second consecutive year, with the proportion of children living in workless households also reducing.

He added: “However, we know that people across Scotland are struggling to make ends meet, with poverty on the rise and increased foodbank use directly linked to UK Government welfare cuts, benefit sanctions and the flawed Universal Credit.

Matthew Geer, campaigns manager at poverty charity Turn2us, said there were many causes behind children growing up in workless households.

These included lack of quality employment opportunities, long term disability or single parents struggling to juggle work with parenting.

He added: “It is vital to also highlight that 70 per cent of children in poverty live in working households - so it is not as simple as getting adults into work, it is about creating meaningful, well-paid, employment.”