The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Plea for more action to mitigate welfare cuts
Campaigners have urged the Scottish Government to do more to mitigate welfare cuts.
Dr Sarah Glynn said the current “cautious and pragmatic” approach by Scottish ministers was not enough to help those in need.
She has lodged a petition at Holyrood on behalf of the Scottish Unemployed Workers’ Network, calling for more money to be made available to counter the impact of UK Government welfare reforms.
Dr Glynn told the parliament’s Public Petitions Committee the move was in response to “immediate and severe need” as a result of the “devastation” caused by cuts. She highlighted research suggesting that by 2021 the loss to people in Scotland as a result of benefit reforms will be £2 billion a year.
Dr Glynn said: “What we’re calling for is an acknowledgement of the need to put more money into the system to help those affected and for this to be done in a holistic way.
“Every cut translates into personal and social disasters, and each has generated calls for the Scottish Government to mitigate it.
“These need to be looked at together or it will be too easy for all these different and desperate needs to be set in competition with each other.”
She said areas where more could be done included more help with discretionary housing payments, extra money for child benefits and the Scottish Welfare Fund, and better advice and help for sick and disabled people and those hit with sanctions.
The petition calls for ministers to fund change by going further on income tax reform and consider replacing the council tax with a land value tax.
Dr Glynn added: “We appreciate that there’s an understandable reluctance by the Scottish Government to spend money on things that should be being looked after by Westminster.
“It’s galling when there’s much more to do. But when it comes to welfare, it is very, very necessary, even a matter of life and death.”