In 1984 Matthew Parris, who was a Tory MP at the time, took part in a documentary to show that a person could live on £26.80 a week social security payment. It was a pretty miserable existence and only for a week.

I was reminded of this when I listened to some of Orkney’s elected councillors justifying voting for a 15% hike in council tax for islanders – comments such as, it is only a few more pounds.

Last week I switched off a TV programme about energy money saving tips when the ‘expert’ suggested you could just turn your heating off and sit under an electric blanket. Did the ‘expert’ ever experience how cold, and damp, a house can get even just overnight in Orkney if you have no heating on? Had they factored in the dangers this action could have on a person’s health?

Councillors who make comments about it only being a few pounds more have no understanding about how people, many with families, are already living on the edge between managing and not.

The end of year Trussell Trust figures for foodbank use

Total	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
UK	1,354,682	1,606,810	1,909,360	2,578,919	2,183,061	2,997,589	3,121,404
England	1,047,118	1,236,172	1,489,531	2,128,143	1,789,130	2,467,364	2,581,092
Scotland	173,511	217,052	238,584	224,623	199,743	262,827	262,479
Wales	100,360	116,325	136,106	146,712	131,553	185,663	187,458
Northern Ireland	33,693	37,261	45,139	79,441	62,635	81,735	90,375

Over 262,400 emergency food parcels were distributed by Trussell Trust food banks in Scotland in 2023/24 with use remaining at record levels seen in previous year. 86,000 parcels were for children and over 176,400 food parcels were for adults. This is a rise of 21% over a 5 year period.

The Scottish Government sees taking action on child poverty as a priority. Are Orkney’s councillors unaware of this priority? or have they failed to comprehend what their actions will do – the few extra pounds pushed onto council tax, when taken with all the other increases families in Orkney are having to deal with ? Spiralling Costs Ahead for Orkney Islanders.

A Scottish Government report, Understanding the Cost of Living Crisis in Scotland, published in February 2025, pointed out that those most affected are:

Women, disabled people, ethnic minorities, rural households, larger households, young people, students and carers, lone parents and single person households, households in receipt of income-related benefits, people narrowly ineligible for benefits, and people with no recourse to public funds were particularly adversely affected. Some households will have a number of these intersectional characteristics, potentially compounding disadvantage.

And

The cost of living crisis is likely to have increased the demand for public and third sector services at the same time as increasing the cost of delivering services.

For the people just managing, those extra few pounds, will push them not just to the edge, but over it. And because of that the Third Sector will find its services under even more demand than before. Exactly what Orkney’s voluntary sector warned the islands’ councillors about – which 15 of them chose to ignore.

Morven Brooks, Chief Executive of VAO (Voluntary Action Orkney) said:

The third sector serves as a lifeline for many in Orkney, especially during these challenging times. The proposed council tax increase, coupled with funding uncertainties, places our organisations in a precarious position, potentially affecting the most vulnerable members of our community.”

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that Annual CPI (consumer price index) inflation rate is the highest since March 2024

CPIH, owner occupiers’ housing (OOH) costs component and CPI annual inflation rates, UK, January 2015 to January 2025

Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose by 3.3% in the year to January 2025, up from 2.0% in December 2024.

In a speech at the Barracks Conference Centre, Stirling on Wednesday 15 January 2025, the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, laid out his commitment and reasons for taking action to eradicate child poverty in Scotland. He said:

 “Our range of family benefits makes a difference straightaway by putting money directly into people’s pockets, helping people with the day-to-day essentials and the cost of living. That includes the Scottish child payment, which, this coming year, is expected to support around 330,000 children – financial support for families which is unparalleled across the United Kingdom. “

And he continued:

“To be successful we need to bring together national and local government, public authorities, third sector organisations, charities and philanthropic interests to create a coalition with a national purpose to eradicate child poverty in Scotland.  

“If we all work collaboratively, if we all focus on how the money that is available can have the maximum impact, if we all identify what works and if we all make that happen relentlessly across Scotland, I believe we have the potential to make a real and radical difference in the lives of children in Scotland. “

That phrase ‘work collaboratively’ slipped passed Orkney’s councillors when they ignored the pleas of the Third Sector over the 15% council tax hike, and labelled concerned citizens who expressed their opposition to the rise on social media as ‘keyboard warriors’.

Over £1 billion has been paid to parents and carers since the Scottish Child payment was introduced in February 2021.  It is only available in Scotland. It is a weekly payment, currently worth £26.70, for every eligible child that a parent or carer looks after who’s under 16 years of age.    

In Orkney 14,560 payments have been made, worth £2,359,906. Unfortunately that number is likely to increase given the huge pressure families in Orkney will be facing with rising costs. 760 children in Orkney were benefitting from the Scottish Child Payment in December 2024.

The Trussell Trust commented:

“our statistics show that the Scottish Child Payment does not go far enough in ensuring low-income families are able to afford the essentials. Analysis by IPPR Scotland for the Trussell Trust and Save the Children calls for the Scottish Child Payment to be increased to at least £40 a week and triple locked year-on-year to keep up with the cost of living.”

Pensioner poverty is also on the increase. “The recent increase in poverty among pensioner households is leading to significant increases in severe hardship amongst this group, forcing them to turn to food banks,” stated The Trussell Trust. Orkney pensioners will be less likely to ask for help and support but the ‘few pounds’ more on their weekly household costs will put many of them into real hardship.

It’s extremely hard to live on the edge – not just balancing household accounts – but cutting back, birthdays and Christmas are especially difficult, not just for those with young families, but for the grandparents wishing to treat their grandchildren. It wears people down resulting in mental health issues for those struggling with daily living. The extra pounds the Orkney councillors will pull in through their 15% council tax hike will result in an increase in demand for social services. It will put those services under more strain.

In the same week that councillors in Orkney voted on the council tax rise it was announced that they will receive pay increases of 22% from next month (April), as part of changes across the country agreed by the Scottish government. Expenses incurred by Councillors while carrying out their approved duties are re-imbursed by the Council and are subject to predetermined limits. The Record of Claims must be published by June 1 each year. Record of Claims.

“Life is not about things or money, it is about people.”

Fiona Grahame