Rising anger in Fife over ‘cruel’ Universal Credit

Rent arrears and foodbank referrals expected to surge

Anger is mounting across Fife over major welfare reform that could plunge thousands of people into poverty.

A full rollout of Universal Credit takes place in less than a month’s time with foodbanks braced for a flood of referrals.

Protests are expected in Kirkcaldy today amid growing calls to delay the introduction of the new benefits system.

Local politicians have launched scathing attacks on the UK Government as cashstrapped Fifers face an uncertain Christmas due to the six-week delay for new claimants to receive their first payment.

It is feared families will be forced to choose between heating and eating this winter, and there have also been warnings Fife Council will see rent arrears skyrocket.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said the “poorly thought out” policy has created a “slow motion car crash”, while shadow Scottish secretary and Kirkcaldy MP Lesley Laird said it was “especially cruel” to see families hit in the run-up to Christmas.

Fife councillors have launched a scathing attack on the UK Government over welfare reform, amid fears people could starve waiting for payments.

Frustration has been expressed ahead of the rollout of Universal Credit in Fife next month despite calls for it to be pushed back – and anger is set to grow today with a specially-organised protest in Kirkcaldy’s Dunearn Drive at 10am.

In an impassioned address to Fife Council’s community and housing services committee, Labour councillor Neil Crooks said: “The point of this is to fill the coffers of the UK Government while people are starving on the streets.

“Somebody needs to do something about it and the people who need to do something about it are sitting in Westminster.”

Mr Crooks slammed the rich whose methods of avoiding tax through offshore investments were exposed this week with the release of the so-called Paradise Papers.

“There are ways of getting millions of pounds into this country and it’s not by taking off the poorest in our society,” he added.

Fife Council has described the impending impact of Universal Credit as “catastrophic”, not least because new claimants face a six-week wait for first payments to be processed.

Mr Crooks added: “We need to look at every possible avenue open to us to make sure people don’t starve while waiting six weeks for payments. This sickens me to the pit of my stomach.”

A wide range of measures are being introduced across Fife, including training for welfare support assistants and help with basic education and digital skills.

However, committee convener Councillor Judy Hamilton branded the payment delay “an absolute disgrace”.

“Once again we as a local authority are acting as a buffer for our people from a government who are supposed to have the best interests of our people at heart,” she said.

“They’ve got this built-in time delay of 42 days, which is outrageous, but it’s built into the system, without any administrative errors. Twenty-five per cent of people don’t get the right money even after 42 days.”

She added that the single payment system could leave some people in households even more vulnerable.

“We’re getting reports from Women’s Aid about the single payment to the household,” she said.

“For a household where there is financial abuse, that is a very difficult position to put people into.”

Picture: Kim Cessford. There was outrage in Dundee this week against Universal Credit – and unrest over the welfare reform is deepening in Fife.