A shocking report into the level of poverty in Dundee makes the case for independence, SNP councillors have said.
The document, authored by outgoing city council chief executive David Dorward, told how Dundee remains close to the top of Scottish league tables on deprivation.
The percentage of the population living in poverty is rising, as is the percentage of impoverished children and experts believe it’s becoming more difficult for Dundonians to afford a “decent living standard”.
SNP administration leader Ken Guild, supported by fellow party councillor Jimmy Black, said the report highlighted “the huge impact of the UK Government’s welfare reform programme on increasing levels of poverty” and helped make the case for independence.
Their views were met with scorn by opposition councillors, who argued the SNP were playing politics with the appalling report.
Independent member Ian Borthwick said: “There is a deplorable situation in the city. It is a situation that is happening all over Scotland and all over the UK.
“Contributions (made by SNP councillors) serve to diminish this report and the efforts of our officers.
“Does the tone of this debate really encourage people to join together to tackle poverty? We should be focusing on the people who are actually suffering rather than turning it into a sham debate.”
Labour member Richard McCready said: “Our job is to try and find solutions to the problems that people in Dundee face.
“Our job is to do our best for the people of this city. Every party here has made mistakes and has contributed to the issues highlighted in this report.
“Behaviour like this does the people of Dundee a huge disservice.”
SNP councillors successfully voted through an amendment to the report, however, that slammed the Westminster Government and “the two major unionist parties” as being largely responsible for the issues in the damning document.
Mr Black said: “I do not see something like the ‘bedroom tax’ taking place in an independent Scotland.
“Policies like this are just not acceptable (in an independent Scotland) we would not do it and Labour would not do it.”
Along with the amendment, members also approved the introduction of a Fairness Commission for Dundee, the details of which will be finalised in the near future.
In the report, Mr Dorward said that the establishment of such a body was essential.
According to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, poverty in Dundee is assessed on 179 different data zones.
The most recent national figures show that, of 144,290 people living in Dundee, 42,125 of them live in data zones ranked within the 15% most deprived areas in Scotland.
Almost 50,000 families in Dundee receive working tax and child tax credits.