Food poverty is at shocking levels in Scotland and throughout the UK, one of the world’s largest economies.
It is estimated that once Brexit takes hold on 1st January 2021, food prices will rise by as much as 22%. Whether or not prices rise by that much, what will happen is that they will rise.
The Covid19 pandemic has already hit people hard and the Alston Report on poverty in the UK was a damning condemnation of the austerity policies pursued by successive UK Governments – from the LibDem/Conservative Coalition through to today’s Johnson administration.
The Scottish Government has committed £100million towards food initiatives to mitigate the effects of these policies and of the Covid19 pandemic. The funding goes to local authorities and the third sector.
The Food Fund
£99,000 was allocated to Orkney from the Food Fund. In total for Scotland £56,060,000 has been shared directly to councils, voluntary groups and the national shielding boxes.
The Food Fund supports those most in need including families with children who are eligible for free school meals, older people, those with long-term health conditions and pregnant women.
The people who required to shield were offered food boxes delivered to their doors by local groups. This enabled them to stay safely indoors without the anxiety of having to go shopping. It also means that anyone who has to self isolate quickly is able to call up the helpline to get a food box.
The Scottish Welfare Fund
Distributing the food parcels and ensuring the support went where it was needed required additional funding too. This has also been supplied by the Scottish Government and sent directly to local authorities and organisations. To do this the Scottish Welfare Fund has been doubled.
Individuals can apply for that here: Help with living costs – Scottish Welfare Fund
The Supporting Communities Fund
The Supporting Communities Fund provides funding to community organisations, such as charities, voluntary organisations, community controlled housing associations and social enterprises to help support local responses to the Covid19 pandemic.
You can find all the awards it has made here: Awards Made SCVO
13 local organisations in Orkney have so far benefited from this fund so that they can deliver the help and support where it is needed in their communities.
The Island Of Hoy Development Trust
- Award: £12,500 via Call 1
Westray Development Trust
- Award: £2,933 via Call 1
The money went straight to these local organisations which is extremely important as it meant there was no delay in getting the funding where it was needed to the people who knew how best to deliver it.
The Third Sector Resilience Fund
The Third Sector Resilience Fund supports charities, community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisations that already deliver services and products but find themselves in financial difficulties directly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Awards for up to the 10th of July 2020 can be found here: TSRF All Awards list 10-July
So far 1,266 organisations have been supported by this fund totaling £21,422,368.
In Orkney 8 local organisations shared in £131,641. There were also funds distributed to groups which have a wider remit but which support Orcadians. For example CLAN Cancer Support received £88,740
These are just a few of the funding schemes put in place by the Scottish Government to support communities especially at this time of great uncertainty.
As people move about more there has been a rise in the number of confirmed Covid19 cases in Scotland. Whilst the number confirmed by a test as having Covid19 in Orkney is still at 9 (3rd of August) there are spikes appearing in parts of Scotland. Today (3rd of August) 18 more people tested positive for Covid19.
Check out the stats for Scotland here: Scotland Coronavirus Tracker
Check out the stats for the UK here: UK Coronavirus Tracker
In Scotland the R number – the rate of transmission is between 0.6 and 0.9 and in England the R number is between 0.8 and 1.0 with some parts of England now registering above 1.
Lockdown was reintroduced to some parts of England because of the rise in positive Covid19 cases. On 31st of July the UK Government announced that social contact restrictions were being reintroduced in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire.
As we go about more, supporting our local shops and businesses, it is more important than ever before to protect ourselves and others. Any significant rise in Covid19 positive tests sending us back into lockdown would be a serious setback to our health, wellbeing and the economy.
Helpline for those who are not able to have support from friends, family or neighbours
Anyone in Scotland worried about being unable to access food should contact the National Helpline on 0800 111 4000.
Reporter: Fiona Grahame
Categories: News
