Food poverty is real

Poverty-stricken Scots are having to turn to handouts from food banks for their Christmas dinner. The Trussell Trust charity say they have seen a 48 per cent increase in the number of Scots coming through their doors in December compared to the rest of the year. Their Glasgow south-east foodbank is one of the busiest in Scotland.

Audrey Flannagan, who has managed the operation for six years, said: “We are seeing more people who are struggling due to universal credit, benefits cap or losing out on their child tax credit. Some are up to £50 a week down, which is a substantial amount when you have kids to feed... Most of the people are desperate and don’t have money to buy their kids presents, let alone fund a Christmas dinner.” Audrey said: “People who come here are at crisis point and have no where else to turn. That’s why we exist because people have no other way of feeding themselves. It’s heartbreaking, especially at this time of year.”

The trust have just reported their busiest year in Scotland with 76,764 packages of three-day emergency food supplies given to people in crisis – 24,142 to children. Trussell Trust data reveals that issues with benefit payments remain the biggest cause of referral to a food bank across Scotland, accounting for 42 per cent of all cases.

Scotland director, Tony Graham, said: “We are concerned that the ongoing impact of welfare reform – especially universal credit roll-out – combined with increased demand we traditionally see over winter, will leave foodbanks struggling to feed everyone who comes through the doors. Food banks in Scotland are already acting as an unofficial safety net, attempting to catch people let down by a welfare system that should be there for vulnerable families when they need it most. Not only would it be morally wrong for us to become a de facto arm of the welfare state, if welfare reform and universal credit roll-out continue unchanged, we simply will not be able to catch everyone that falls.”

People who are being badly let down by the welfare system and who have to choose between heating and eating.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/theresa-mays-breadline-britain-leaves-11740244