The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
People left hungry as supplies ‘wiped out’ at food banks
A FOOD bank had to turn desperate people away after running out of supplies amid unprecedented demand.
Charity leaders laid bare the shocking extent of the north-east’s poverty crisis yesterday, as a poll suggested that a third of people in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray “regularly” skip meals to save money.
“A lot of food banks are struggling as demand keeps growing”
They say the situation came to a head recently when shelves were left empty at an Aberdeen food bank which hands out emergency packages.
Instant Neighbour said there was “nothing worse” than having to turn 20 hungry people away from its St Machar Drive premises empty-handed.
Business development manager Susan Cheyne said stocks had been wiped out by a spiralling number of users.
She said: “We have seen an increase
The Scottish Government has rejected a council call to put forward millions in business rates relief for Aberdeen firms, ending weeks of speculation.
The council’s finance committee backed a plan where the local authority would put forward £3million to cushion the blow of steep rises – if Holyrood matched the contribution on March 9.
But now Finance Secretary Derek Mackay has written to council chiefs saying he is “not minded” to offer any additional rates relief.
The response came after he crumbled to pressure on the rates rises and put forward an 11th-hour mitigation package in his budget in February.
Companies in the northeast have been facing crippling rises of up to 250% as the rateable value (RV) has been set at 2015 values before the full effects of the oil downturn were felt.
Finance convener Willie Young said the authority would now “consider options” ahead of the council’s next meeting of the finance committee – adding that other services may have to lose out to fund a rates package.
He said: “This is extremely disappointing because Derek Mackay clearly doesn’t understand the economy of Aberdeen. If he did, he would have given the city extra money in the budget to mitigate these rises.
“The SNP Government has taken more money from this city than any other before it and I’m confident that business people will see that Derek Mackay has, once again, let the city down.
“We will now consider options ahead of the next finance committee meeting in June.”
But SNP group leader Stephen Flynn accused the Labour-led administration of “crocodile tears” after a £4million package put forward by the group, totally funded by the council, had been previously rejected.
He said the party would bring forward the £4million if they won the upcoming council election on May 4.
He said: “Given the council is running a budget surplus of £3million, the fact that the administration is now putting forward no relief says everything about the Labour Party and Willie Young’s commitment to north-east businesses.”