Foodbank users are up by 21 per cent
Universal Credit blamed for rise in poverty
The number of people using Foodbanks in East Ayrshire has shot up by 21 per cent since the introduction of Universal Credit, it has been revealed.
Families with children seeking assistance from foodbanks has risen from 1545 in October 2016 to April 2017 to 1869 between October 2017 and April 2018.
A total of 2379 referrals were made to foodbanks in 2017/ 18 compared to 2662 in the previous 12 months, an increase of 12 per cent.
Now a political row has broken out after Tory MSP Brian Whittle, in a Scottish Parlimament debate, said the number of people attending foodbanks in East Ayrshire had declined by 30 per cent.
Health secretary Jeane Freemnan, the MSP for Cumnock, Carrick and Doon Valley, insisted it was “shameful that Tory MSP Brian Whittle mislead the Scottish Parliament on the number of people using foodbanks was on the decline”.
She said: “These figures bring into sharp focus the devastating impact the Tory government is having on our local community and it is utterly shameful for Mr Whittle to mislead the Scottish Parliament in his attempt to deflect from his Tory party policies.
“The fact that foodbank use in East Ayrshire was declining before the introduction of Universal Credit and is now back on the increase is clearly a damning indictment of UK government cuts to welfare, and the botched roll- out of Universal Credit.”
And Sarah Hammond, Citizens Advice Manager and chairwoman of East Ayrshire Financial Inclusion Group, said: “A significant driver for this increase relates to the delays experienced by claimants in receiving their Universal Credit and issues in being able to complete the online application process.”
South of Scotland MSP Brian Whittle said any increase in the number of people having to use foodbanks was disappointing and insisted it was too simplistic to lay all the blame for this current increase at the door of Universal Credit.
He said: “I continue to believe that the principle behind Universal Credit is sound – simplifying the benefits system, supporting more people into work and making sure that work always pays more than welfare – but I’m frustrated that simple things, like the difficulty some people have in getting online, don’t seem to have been properly thought through.
“During a recent debate in Holyrood, I mentioned East Ayrshire’s previous success in reducing overall foodbank usage and highlighted the efforts being made to involve a number of partner agencies in delivering support to people visiting foodbanks. Unfortunately instead of recognising this success, some politicians have chosen to misrepresent my comments and suggest that I believed Universal Credit was responsible for that reduction in foodbank use. That isn’t the case.
“I’m disappointed by the number of politicians whose only comments about Universal Credit are about how awful it is and how any politician who supports it should be ashamed. “I’m not interested in making the public scared of Universal Credit, I’m interested in making sure the welfare system supports people effectively. Where I see good practice, I’m going to highlight it because I don’t want anyone to be in a position where they have to rely on a foodbank.”