An anti-poverty Big Lunch is being held in Perth to highlight the worsening cost of living crisis and to identify ways business and individuals can help.
The Perth City Leadership Forum, working with Perth and Kinross Council and various key players across the third sector, is hosting the event in the Dewars Centre, Perth, at 1pm on Friday October 28.
Before Covid and the cost of energy rose to today’s extreme levels, over 5,000 young people in Perth & Kinross were reportedly in food poverty.
That is nearly a quarter of families.
As the energy price hike begins to bite this is only likely to get worse.
Deep rooted problems
Perth City Leadership Forum chairman Mike Robinson said the problem is so significant and deep rooted, that it is going to take a huge effort from businesses, organisations and individuals to make in-roads.
Mr Robinson said: “The current cost of living crisis requires a response.
“Everyone is affected, and those who were already struggling will face severe hardship unless we act.
“The statistics are shocking, and that was pre-pandemic.
“The leadership forum is determined to help galvanise public sector and private support to tackle this crisis.
“We are hosting a lunch to bring people together for a chance to hear from the front-line service providers, to listen to some of those struggling, and to understand what they need from us and what we can all do to make a difference.”
‘Cash-strapped’ public services
Mr Robinson says he is not sure if everyone in the general public fully understands how “absolutely cash strapped” public services are.
The “relentless austerity” over the past 12 years, he said, has made society less resilient.
This means that when shocks like Covid, Brexit or the energy price inflation hit, society has been “too stretched, exhausted and financially fragile” to cope easily.
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Climate change and biodiversity loss have got worse, and poverty has mushroomed.
“The signs of poverty were there – and always have been – but the massive growth in food banks is an obvious one, yet much of the acceleration in rates of poverty for those both in and out of work, has been absent in much public discourse,” he added.
“But after more than a decade of cuts, there are now gaping wounds in our society.
“I would encourage any organisation that wants to help to please get in touch.
“If we are not careful we are in danger of being so overwhelmed by short term crises that we forget to solve the longer-term problems that are driving them.
“We need to help people through this cost of living crisis, but we also need to tackle the root causes of poverty.
“We cannot afford to ignore poverty.
“And similarly, we cannot afford to ignore climate change.
“Both if left unchecked will pull our society apart.”
Need for cross-sector support
The leadership forum is pursuing projects on all of these fronts, he said, but they need the people of Perth & Kinross to get on board and help.
Perth and Kinross Council leader Grant Laing said: “I am delighted to be part of such a collective response from the business, voluntary and community sectors, as well as the council, to the challenges of poverty which are faced by many in our communities.
“As leader of Perth and Kinross Council we have set tackling poverty as a key priority in our corporate plan, currently out to consultation, and have backed this up with over £1m in new measures since I was appointed leader.
“Working alongside Perth City Leadership Forum and other partners to deliver a range of direct support to individuals as well as initiatives such as The Big Lunch to highlight the issues being faced, will be critical if we are to make an impact on the lives of those who are affected by poverty, not least the 5155 children who were living in poverty even before the current cost of living crisis.”
Conversation