A former North Lanarkshire councillor has revealed he was forced to turn to foodbanks after the benefits system plunged him into poverty.
Paul Delaney got stuck in minimum wage jobs where employers failed to pay on time and, after ending up on Universal Credit, debts and stresses began to pile up.
The 51-year-old turned to Motherwell and Wishaw MP Marion Fellows for support, who helped resolve issues regarding failed payment from previous employers.
However, Paul revealed that he ended up in a crisis situation from last October until January this year because of the benefits system, and had to rely on foodbanks during that period to survive.
“The benefits system exists to accelerate people into poverty,” said Paul. “It’s the only thing it excels at.
“It’s a bare minimum, life supporting system - and it doesn’t even do that properly.
“When on Universal Credit, you pay your bills and are forced to use a foodbank in order to have any sustenance.
“It’s a completely broken system that doesn’t work as well as the one it replaced.
“Marion Fellows has been a breath of fresh air as an MP. Her and her staff have been top notch, and work very hard in tackling this issue.”
Paul was an SNP councillor for Mossend and Holytown from 2007-2012, but left the role amid controversy over leaking personal information.
He has strong social media skills and applied for jobs in this area, trying hard to avoid ending up on benefits.
“I kept taking on temporary jobs where I was promised full-time work at the end of it, but was being messed about. In one call centre job with a mobile phone company I worked six weeks and all I got was a £200 advance payment.
“As well as day-to-day costs of living, there were also costs for travelling by bus or train to that job.
“Each time I was forced to leave these jobs I would end up back in the Universal Credit initial six-week period without any money until they process your application.
“I had no other option than to use their advance loan to get by.
“You work for years and pay your taxes and national insurance, but then when you end up unemployed you have to borrow money just to pay the government back.
“When you take out this advance loan for Universal Credit you have to pay back £40 every week, which is a lot when you receive very little in benefits.
“The whole situation was a complete mess.
“The Tories are going to destroy society. They are making people desperate as possible so that they have to take crappy minimum wage jobs, many of which aren’t reliable.
“People are going to be forced into such a desperate situation that they will turn to crime and drug dealing.”
Paul explained that he had to rely on a foodbank every couple of weeks for four months, but is now in a more stable position after sorting his finances and resolving benefits issues.
