A coalition of poverty groups has called upon the Scottish Government to do more to tackle the effects of welfare reform
Poverty campaigners are calling for the Scottish Government to tackle the suffering caused by changes to the UK benefit system - including the roll out of Universal Credit - in the run up to Christmas.
Ministers at Holyrood have already pledged to use new welfare powers to top up the incomes of Scottish families by 2022, but campaigners say they must act with far greater urgency to deliver on their promise in the forthcoming Scottish budget.
The call comes as A Menu for Change - a partnership project run by Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, Nourish Scotland, Oxfam Scotland and Poverty Alliance – hosted a foodbank inside Holyrood this week; and staging the Scottish premier of theatre production Food Bank As It Is.
The play, written by the manager of a foodbank in London Tara Osman, will bring the voices and experiences of foodbank users to the Scottish Parliament. It has been shown that there are 52% rises in foodbank use in areas where Universal Credit has been rolled out.
Polly Jones, project manager of A Menu for Change, said the play has been designed to galvanise Scottish politicians to use all their powers to prevent people from facing hunger, as well as condemning policies made by the UK government.
Jones said: “It’s appalling that in a rich country like Scotland, more and more people are turning to foodbanks because they don’t have enough money to buy food; a problem which is being exacerbated by the disastrous roll out of Universal Credit.
“There’s no question this is crisis driven by UK government cuts but it’s important to remember that the Scottish Government isn’t powerless to tackle the effects of policies made at Westminster. If we’re going to avoid a winter of misery with countless people facing hunger then it’s time for ministers to live up to their promise to top up he incomes of hard up families across Scotland.”
The hard-hitting play, which has previously been performed across England and Wales, will debut at the Scottish Parliament and will then be performed in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. Playwright Tara Osman has adapted the play based on A Menu for Change’s research to reflect the real-life stories of Scottish foodbank users, who will be represented by Scottish actors.
Osman said she hoped to shine a light on the misery faced by people facing hunger in Scotland. She said: “For the first time, this play brings the voices of foodbank users to the corridors of power. It pulls no punches, and nor should it. It’s a disgrace that anyone is facing hunger when supermarket shelves are stuffed full of food. Hopefully Food Bank As It Is underlines the urgency and necessity of political action to tackle hunger.”
Communities minister Aileen Campbell said: “Tackling poverty and inequality is a central mission of the Scottish Government which is why we brought forward the Child Poverty Act and ambitious new targets to end child poverty by 2030.
“Our Tackling Child Poverty Plan includes a Best Start Grant for low income families – which will begin payments before Christmas, £12 million for intensive employment support for parents, and to work towards the introduction of a new income supplement.
“We are working on the development of the income supplement now. This is a complex undertaking, and it is critical that we take the time to properly consider and ensure we get it right and ensure it meets our two key principles of reaching the greatest number of children living in poverty, and that it helps lift families out of poverty.
“We know this will not be easy and we need to take the right action to reduce and ultimately eradicate child poverty.”
