The number of children living in poverty is on the rise in West Dunbartonshire as the area’s biggest foodbank reports a massive rise in referrals.
Figures revealed by the End Child Poverty coalition show the region has the joint fourth worst rate in the country with over 4000 children in households struggling to make ends meet.
And they come as West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare (WDCF) revealed referrals for lifeline support have spiked by an incredible 84 percent – they helped a massive 27,500 people in 2020. There are around 91,000 people living in the region.
Clair Coyle from the charity said: “There has been a lot of pressure on families.
“Unemployment has been rising in West Dunbartonshire. What we have seen over the last year is a whole host of new people seeking support.
“On a weekly basis, we are still seeing new names coming through the doors.
“When foodshare was set up eight years ago in response to benefits sanctions, it was felt it would be needed for a year yet here we are eight years later.
“We have seen a 20 to 25 percent increase over the years. Last year was an 84 percent increase. A lot of people have been plunged into poverty who never expected to.
“There are families who were managing and have now found themselves in really horrendous situations.”
The statistics from the End Child Poverty Coalition show West Dunbartonshire with 26.8 percent of children living in poverty, measured by those below a 60 percent median income after housing costs.
The figure has increased from 23.4 percent in 2014/15, equating to 3685 children before rising to 4189 children in the 2019/20 period.
With the impact of Covid-19, it is anticipated that the problem could get even worse although Clair recognises that assistance to families as a result of additional funding through the pandemic has helped.
She said: “Between about January and Easter this year we did see a reduction in the number of families seeking support from us. The reason for that was between the Scottish Government, the local authority and the education department, lockdown support was put in place for families which was fantastic.
“At the same time, we saw an increase in referrals from single people and couples on low incomes.
“In the first quarter of this year, the support there was for local families was very, very good.
“Since the kids went back to school after Easter, we have seen an increase in families seeking support. The funding education did have possibly came to an end.”
In the wake of the latest child poverty figures, West Dunbartonshire Council said they were doing “everything we can” to stop the inequality between those on the breadline and the wealthier members of the community.
A spokeswoman told the Lennox Herald: “The council is committed to working with its partners to reduce the impact of poverty and improve the lives of those most affected by deprivation, including children.
“As a council, we’re doing everything we can to tackle income inequality in our communities by helping residents to secure employment and access education and training, by providing warm and affordable housing and by providing benefit and debt management advice.
“We are committed to breaking the cycle of poverty by helping children get the best start in life though our schools and early learning centres and supporting them to attain and achieve, and continue dedicated work to close the attainment gap.
“Helping low income families is a priority for the council and the grants given to parents and carers to pay for school uniforms are among the most generous in Scotland. In addition, the council increased the income threshold for both free school meals and clothing grants to ensure even more pupils benefit.”
West Dunbartonshire Council offers a range of support including the Working 4 Parents initiative which helps with financial awareness, debt management, benefit maximisation and fuel and food poverty initiatives.
There is also the Oot Scoot and Aboot programme which addresses barriers that prevent young people in poverty from fully participating in community and social life by supporting them with personal and social development.
Clair said families are reaching out to WDCF for a range of help.
She explained: “All of our projects have been quite busy.
“A lot of families were looking for support from the school uniform bank maybe a month or so ago after finding uniforms weren’t fitting when the kids were going back to school.
“What we are also seeing is a large increase in the number of people seeking support with fuel poverty. People are working from home and when the kids were at home, they were using a lot more of everything.
“Their gas and electricity costs are high because people are in their houses all day.
“A lot of families are struggling to keep their meters topped up.”
Speaking on behalf of members of End Child Poverty, John Dickie, director of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, responded to the new figures calling on all political parties in Scotland to unite in acting on election promises.
He also urged the UK Government to stand up and take note, ensuring action was taken on benefit cuts which could push the poorest people in society even closer to the brink.
He said: “The figures speak for themselves – the situation for children couldn’t be starker. We all want to live in a society where children are supported to be the best they can be, but the reality is very different for too many.
“The UK Government can be in no doubt about the challenge it faces if it is serious about ‘levelling up’ parts of the country hardest hit by poverty.
“After the year we’ve all had, they owe it to our children to come up with a plan to tackle child poverty that includes a boost to children’s benefits.”
West Dunbartonshire MP Martin Docherty-Hughes placed blame for the spiralling child poverty figures squarely at the door of the UK Government and said he sees every single week the human impact this is having.
The SNP politician said: “The rise in child poverty figures across the UK underlines the devastating impact of a decade of Tory cuts and austerity.
“Every week at my constituent advice surgeries I hear from families in West Dunbartonshire struggling to get by due to the inadequacies of Westminster’s welfare system.
“The SNP Scottish Government is determined to lift children out of poverty; by investing in affordable housing, creating job opportunities, and introducing the game-changing Scottish Child Payment. However, for as long as the likes of Boris Johnson controls the main levers of power over employment and welfare, Scotland will always be tackling poverty with one hand tied behind its back.”
Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie said: “That almost a quarter of children in Scotland are living in relative poverty is nothing short of a scandal and it is a disgrace that West Dunbartonshire has one of the highest levels of child poverty in Scotland.
“What is especially dispiriting is that even before this pandemic, child poverty was once again on the rise both in our local community and across Scotland.
“Child poverty has risen throughout the 14 years of the SNP being in government and is rising under the Conservative UK Government. We now need urgent action. We cannot lose another generation to child poverty. I will fight to unite our community and make an end to child poverty a reality.”
