The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Calls to suspend ‘car crash’ changes
The introduction of Universal Credit will hurt some of Fife’s most vulnerable people in the run-up to Christmas, two of the region’s leading politicians have warned.
Lesley Laird, MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, said the arrival of the controversial benefits system in the region next month could place huge strain on foodbanks following concerns that some families could go for up to six weeks without cash.
Mrs Laird will be part of the group campaigning against the changes today.
She said the system was “simply failing to assist the very people it is supposed to help”, adding: “Statistics released by the Trussell Trust this week lay bare the awful reality for those who are having to wait six weeks or more without money to buy food, pay rent or heat their homes. Even if money is paid it is simply a loan and adds to the debt of people often already struggling to get by.
“In areas where Universal Credit has already impacted referrals to foodbanks have risen 30%, leading the trust to claim they have become a de facto arm of the welfare state.
“It’s especially cruel that families here will be hit by such hardships in the run-up to Christmas.”
Mrs Laird has started a petition against the rollout of Universal Credit.
People will be able to add their backing to the campaign at a stall outside the Co-op supermarket on Kirkcaldy’s Dunearn Drive from 10am today.
Universal Credit will combine all benefit payments into one monthly deposit.
It is being rolled out across the country, despite criticism from politicians and charities, including Citizens Advice Scotland, which say it risks leaving thousands of Scots in poverty and debt.
North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie has also called for the rollout to be suspended, saying: “This poorly thought out policy has created a slow-motion car crash. People who are waiting for payments are at risk of losing their home and at risk of being put in serious debt that they will struggle to get out of.”
It’s especially cruel that families here will be hit by such hardships in the run-up to Christmas