SNP MSP Ben Macpherson has condemned the UK government’s welfare cuts, after new figures revealed that foodbank use in Edinburgh has risen by 5% since last year.
Foodbank use in Scotland has risen by 15% between April and September compared to the same period in 2017, with Trussel Trust foodbanks supporting more than 8000 people in Edinburgh alone.
Foodbank providers have said the rise is largely due to the in-built minimum wait of five weeks for the first payment of Universal Credit – with many more people forced to wait even longer.
Britain’s biggest foodbank provider, the Trussell Trust, has called for ‘urgent changes’ to Universal Credit – while the SNP have consistently called for a halt to the roll-out of the scheme.
Last week, the United Nationals Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights visited the UK to investigate the impact of austerity.
Commenting on the figures, Ben Macpherson MSP said: “These are truly heart-breaking figures for Edinburgh, which show the devastating impact of UK Tory government policies on our local communities.
“The fact that foodbank use is growing across Scotland is a damning indictment of UK government austerity, their cuts to welfare and the botched roll-out of Universal Credit.
“Sustained Tory cuts have created these problems and Universal Credit is making things worse – which is why the Tory roll-out of Universal Credit must be halted by the UK Government so that the fundamental flaws can be addressed.
“I see the impact of Tory benefit cuts on a daily basis in my constituency, and the Tories have shown time and time again that they cannot be trusted with social security in Scotland. That is why we need the full powers over social security to come to Scotland, so that we can make different choices and put an end to disastrous, unjust Tory welfare reforms like the current roll-out of Universal Credit.”
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