I visited a foodbank in Inverkeithing this week as part of ‘Challenge Poverty’ week. There has been a shocking rise in foodbank use across Fife, 18% in the last year, which is both worrying and alarming.
It is important to give thanks to the volunteers and without the support and time of local people these foodbanks, which operate in most towns across Fife, would not be able to function.
The number of food parcels distributed by the Trussell Trust in Fife alone last year totalled 14,689 – an increase of over 40% in Fife in the last five years. Over 75% of the causes of crisis leading to foodbank use in Fife were made up from low income, benefit changes or benefit delays.
This is on top of the news from earlier this year that nine independent food bank venues in Fife collectively handed out 25,795 three-day emergency food supply packages in just 18 months making up over 10% of the Scottish total.
Almost half a million food parcels are being given out to people across Scotland because they can’t afford food. I find it incredible that in 2019 so many people are dependent on charity for the very basic requirement to being able to eat. The fact that food bank use in Fife is continually growing year on year must be a cause of real concern for us all.
The foodbanks own statistics show that the biggest causes for people using foodbanks are low income, benefits changes and benefits delays so the best way to tackle this is increase incomes and make sure our social security system works properly. This means introducing a real living wage of £10 an hour and scrapping the disaster that has been Universal Credit.
Foodbanks have also told me that they are concerned that the risk to food supplies and possible rises in food prices cause by a no-deal Brexit will affect vital food donations, which their network of food banks rely on to ensure people referred are provided with a nutritionally balanced food parcel.
It is the most vulnerable in our country that are suffering as a result of austerity and the Tories narrow-sighted politics of opportunism. It needs to end.
