Warning Scots will ‘need to give up a day of food’ to survive cost crisis
THE POOREST Scots are going to have to give up a day of food a week in order to meet the soaring cost of living, new analysis has found.
Housing campaigners have also warned of a double hit on those who rent from private landlords and rely on housing benefit, with the level of Government assistance failing to keep up with soaring rents.
Homeless charity Crisis warned that the combination of rising living costs and the growing gap between rents and Local Housing Allowance (LHA) could trigger a wave of homelessness.
According to data from the charity, as it stands a typical family living in a two-bedroom flat in Scotland will have to give up, on average, the equivalent of almost a day’s worth of food and fuel costs in order to get by.
In some areas of Scotland, the gap between housing benefit and housing cost is small, but the charity argues that combined with rising living costs, people will quickly fall into arrears.
£1k worse off
ITS data reveals that in Glasgow, for example, the difference between housing benefit and rent costs is around £3.45 per week. However, with prices of food and fuel expected to rise by about £834.99 a year, it will leave people more than £1,000 worse off, and they will have to sacrifice 0.9 of a day’s worth of food to compensate.
In Forth Valley, people could have to give up 1.3 days of food a week, with the shortfall between housing costs and benefit coming to £11.51 per week, before the inflated costs of energy and other bills.
Some areas will see no shortfall in their housing costs but may still have to sacrifice nutrition and heating just to pay for their other bills, such as in Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and North Lanarkshire.
The findings have been described as “shocking” by politicians, who have backed the Crisis charity’s calls for the Government to invest in housing benefit to stop people becoming homeless.
Matt Downie, Crisis chief executive, said: “No-one should have to choose between feeding their family, heating their home, and paying their rent.
“Yet with families across Scotland facing growing pressure on their incomes, there is a huge risk that people who are currently struggling to get by could be forced into homelessness.
“The pandemic showed that with the right political will Scotland can make huge progress in its journey towards tackling rough sleeping and ending homelessness, but it is now vital that momentum is not lost and the UK Government supports these efforts by ensuring housing benefit covers the true cost of rents.
“Increasing housing benefit so it covers the true cost of rents would be the quickest and most effective way to keep people in their homes.
“We cannot idly stand by and watch all the progress made to tackle homelessness during the pandemic unravel, and that’s why we’re urging the UK Government to reverse this cut before it’s too late.”
‘Shocking’
DAVID Linden MP, the SNP’s DWP spokesman, said: “This analysis from Crisis is shocking but sadly not surprising.
“The Chancellor has ignored all reasonable calls for benefits and pensions to be fairly uprated and has instead opted for a headin-sand strategy. Despite being restricted by a fixed budget, the Scottish Government has been able to uprate the benefits it administers by 6 per cent.
“The Chancellor could do the same but has instead chosen to bank most of a £50 billion Treasury windfall so that he can bribe the public with tax cuts before the next election.”
Ian Murray MP, the shadow Scottish secretary, added: “This is incredibly sobering analysis which shows the extent of the cost-of-living crisis.
“Rising food prices, fuel bills and inflation are making it incredibly hard for families to make ends meet while both governments fail to take the action necessary.
“Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement has failed to meet the moment of this crisis, and ordinary people are the ones paying the price.”
‘£22bn in support’
A UK Government spokesperson said it was providing “support worth £22bn this financial year and next to help” including “an average of £1,000 more per year into the pockets of working families via changes to Universal Credit” as well as the 5% fuel duty cut and energy bills rebate fund of £9.1bn.
They added that the minimum wage increase and National Insurance threshold rise would see “people across the United Kingdom keep more of what they earn before they start paying tax, while devolved administrations are receiving a share of the £1bn Household Support.
“During the pandemic we increased Local Housing Allowance significantly and beyond inflation, benefiting over one million households by an average of over £600 over the year.
“We’re maintaining that boost, keeping support for private renters above pre-pandemic levels,” they added.
There is a huge risk that people who are currently struggling to get by could be forced into homelessness