Figures from the Trussell Trust, showing that 17,328 people in the City of Edinburgh and 21,443 people in Lothian were provided with three-day emergency food supplies from this one food bank charity alone, highlight the urgent need to implement the Scottish Greens’ ten-point plan to tackle poverty, says Lothian MSP Alison Johnstone.
Ms Johnstone says the figures, which also show that 5,760 children in Edinburgh received these three-day food packages, are a “national scandal” and that citizens in a rich country like the UK shouldn’t be reliant on charities to provide vital food aid.
The 2017/18 figures provided by the Trussell Trust also reveal a rise from 2016/17, where 14,924 people in the City of Edinburgh were given their assistance. Across Scotland, 170,625 of their three-day emergency food supplies were given to people in crisis, with 55,038 provided for children, a record rise say the charity.
Alison Johnstone MSP said: “It’s a national scandal that in Scotland in 2018, so many people cannot afford to eat, and these figures offer an insight into the volume of support provided by the Trussell Trust, while other charities are also dealing with huge demand for assistance.
“In the Scottish Parliament we’ll do everything we can to make sure newly devolved powers are used to support those who are left without income as a result of UK benefit delays. Scotland is a wealthy country and no one here should be in such a dire financial situation that they cannot afford to eat.
“This is the harsh reality of what Tory economics does to people in the City of Edinburgh and Lothian. Food banks shouldn’t be the last line of defence; they simply don’t have the resources to continue providing their services on such a large scale. The Left Behind report, along with these damning figures, provides further evidence of the misery that Universal Credit is causing so many people. The report’s recommendations have the support of the Greens and much of it chimes with our ten-point plan to tackle child poverty and our calls to end sanctions.”
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