Foodbanks issue 197k parcels over last year

Foodbanks have provided almost 200,000 parcels to people across Scotland in the past year, with a leading charity warning demand is set to soar.

Trussell Trust figures show its Scottish network provided more than 197,000 food parcels to people facing financial hardship across the country from April 1 last year to March 21 this year.

More than 70,000 parcels were provided for children in that same period.

The charity said it is witnessing signs of an accelerating crisis across Scotland following the £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit and the soaring rise in living costs that people are facing.

Trussell’s figures show that the need for emergency food across the charity’s network has decreased in comparison to the same period in 2019-20 (17% lower), with significant numbers of people being helped in the last year by other food aid providers and community-based groups which emerged during the pandemic.

However, the charity warned the data is significantly higher (31%) when compared to the same period five years ago.

It also warned the figures do not yet reflect the impact of the energy price cap which rose this month.

The charity has urged UK, Scottish and local governments to take more action to prevent more families being forced to the doors of foodbanks.

With trust research showing that more than one in three (36%) people on Universal Credit in Scotland are already skipping meals, the charity warned that people cannot afford to wait any longer for support.

As a first step, Trussell is calling for the UK Government to, as a bare minimum, increase all benefits payments by at least 7%, so more people are able to afford the essentials we all need in life to get by.

The charity has also urged the Scottish Government to do more to support people, including doubling the Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week and providing enough funding to the Scottish Welfare Fund to meet demand for help in a crisis.

It also highlighted that the Scottish Government is expected to publish a national plan to end the need for foodbanks in Scotland in the autumn and is calling on local government to commit to develop an action plan to end the need for foodbanks as local elections fast approach.

Aberdeen resident Dee, 60, worked in the building sector, but was made redundant last year and is now receiving Universal Credit.

He told the charity: “It’s so disheartening to think that I’m struggling to pay for the essentials and put food on the table, through no fault of my own.”

Polly Jones, head of Scotland at the Trussell Trust, said: “We should all be free from hunger.

“No one should be pushed deeper into poverty without enough money for the things we all need.”

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said the Scottish Government has taken “significant action” to support people, including the introduction of the Scottish Child Payment, which doubled to £20 per week this month.

She said: “We will also continue to promote a cash-first approach so that people can access food and other essentials with dignity and choice.

“As we have previously stated, we are also investing £770 million this year to tackle the cost-of-living pressures, including Scottish social security payments that are not available elsewhere in the UK, and mitigating the bedroom tax.”