‘No. of Scots using food banks rises’

The number of Scottish people relying on food banks has increased by ten times in just two years, a new report says.

In a letter to the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee on Wednesday, the Scotland’s Outlook campaign group, which consists of a number of charity organizations, raised concerns about the growing number of Scots relying on food banks to feed their families.

The campaign group also estimated that more than 870,000 people are currently living in poverty across Scotland as a result of the UK government’s controversial welfare and benefit reforms.

“With nearly a million people in Scotland living in poverty, we have a humanitarian crisis on our hands and we need everyone’s help to tackle it,” said Martin Sime, the chief executive of the Poverty Alliance and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organizations (SCVO).

Meanwhile, the Trussell Trust charity reported that its food banks have handed out food support to some 56,000 people between April 2013 and February 2014, compared with 14,318 recorded in 2012-13 and 5,726 in 2011-12.

“People across Scotland are being battered by welfare reforms, stagnant wages, rising utility bills, higher living costs and job insecurity,” said Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland charity.

Earlier in February, food bank volunteers from across the UK warned that British families hit by falling incomes and benefit cuts are increasingly being forced to rely on charity help and food parcels, even in the richest areas of the country.