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Foodbank use at record levels

Record numbers of people have had to make use of foodbanks this year.
Record numbers of people have had to make use of foodbanks this year.

The number of people relying on foodbanks in Tayside and Fife has rocketed in the past year.

Increases of almost one third were recorded in Angus, nearly one quarter in Fife and 14% in Dundee.

The figures remained broadly static for Perth and Kinross.

More children used the crisis packages than ever before too.

A total of 3,461 children in Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth and Kinross depended on donations this year.

Ewan Gurr, Scotland network manager for the Trussell Trust, said: “Difficulties related to welfare benefits are still driving the majority of people to our Scottish foodbanks, but now one in five of those referred is on a low income, and among that number is a growing body of people in low paid employment who are simply unable to make the pay cheque stretch far enough when crisis hits.

“The increasing instability of the oil, gas and steel industries has already led to significant numbers of people being made redundant, and figures revealed in the last week also show that unemployment has risen in Scotland while decreasing in the rest of the UK.

“Furthermore, if the proposed changes to child tax credits are implemented at a UK level we are concerned that more working families will not be able to make ends meet.

“We also need to ensure, at a Scottish level, that vital services such as the Scottish Welfare Fund are well resourced, well advertised and accessible to those who need them.

“If we hope to reduce the numbers needing our support, we must listen to and learn from those living on low incomes to ensure no incomes are too low to live on.”

Volunteers at the Trussell Trust gave 60,458 three-day emergency food supplies to Scots between April and September, an increase of 17% on the 51,647 over the same period last year.

Only foodbanks in the north-west of England came to the rescue of more people than Scotland. But in terms of population share, the charity reckons a larger number of people are being referred for help here than in any other part of Britain.

SNP MSP Kevin Stewart called the figures alarming as he accused UK ministers of burying their head in the sand on the scale of the problems.

He said: “That any government would consider further cuts to the incomes of the poorest families in our society in the face of such clear evidence of rising poverty is appalling yet George Osborne is set to plough ahead with £12 billion more social security cuts.”

A UK Government spokesman said: “It’s completely misleading to link foodbank use to benefit delays, because the vast majority of benefits are paid on time and improvements are being made year on year.

“Work and a strong economy are the best way to help people out of poverty.

“We now have record employment in this country, and by reducing income tax, bringing in more free childcare and introducing a higher national living wage, we are ensuring that everyone can benefit from our growing economy.”

For further coverage, see Wednesday’s Courier.