AN ANTI-POVERTY group has called for all Glaswegians to receive a monthly payment of at least £213.59 in an effort to curb the rising usage of food banks.

A report published today by Glasgow Community Food Network calls for a cash-first approach to be introduced to bring families above the breadline. 

The group argues that UK government austerity and welfare reform measures have driven child poverty rates to "steadily" increase across the city.

Glasgow Times:

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The authors say that inadequate support is causing families to struggle to make ends meet where third-sector organisations are being used to plug "substantial" gaps. 

While one in every three children in Glasgow lives in poverty, the group wants to see the roll-out of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) pilot - which would see citizens provided with guaranteed income to support the cost of living.

The report reads: "Public sector support is often not able to adequately meet the food needs of individuals and as a result, a vast number of third sector/civil society organisations step in to meet these needs.

"Together these multiple programmes create a patchwork of assistance for low-income families in Glasgow, which vary in their adequacy and robustness.

"The low levels of income support for families reliant on benefit income to make ends meet is simply not enough.

"There are distinct policy choices (e.g., Universal Credit) that have been
found to exacerbate family crises and might push families towards the need for emergency food aid."

Glasgow Times:

READ MORE: Hungry kids are 'queueing outside Glasgow soup kitchen for dinner on school night'

The group's case for UBI would see everyone in Scotland receive a payment of at least £213.59 per month. 

They believe that around 90,000 children in Scotland could be lifted out of poverty if the scheme was implemented.

Recent figures for Glasgow show that around 37,000 children were living in poverty in 2017 - rising to 41% in some neighbourhoods.

The report reads: "Scotland’s communities could become healthier,
happier, more creative and independent.

"Scotland would be better equipped to deal with our increasingly unstable climate.

"A basic income grants people financial resources to reduce their carbon footprints and devise a sustainable, low-carbon lifestyle - both
individually and collectively.

"Businesses could afford to become more environmentally friendly, so Scotland could see a reduction in high-carbon goods and services.

"Families, with extra income from UBI, could afford and access more nutritious, local food."

The research looks into issues including food insecurity among asylum seekers, access to food in Glasgow and improving its supply, the pandemic response and the food pantry model. 

Eight asylum seekers spoke of issues that generated food insecurity - including a lack of adequate financial support, exploitation, limited access to culturally and religious appropriate food and the shortfalls of hotel accommodation.

Asma Abdalla from Empower Women For Change said: “Food poverty and insecurity are hitting asylum-seekers very hard. Receiving only £37 per week has put them in a situation where they must choose between buying food or other household essentials including sanitizing products to stay safe from Covid.

"The situation for people with no recourse to public funds is worse.” 

The authors see food as an "emergency crisis support" issue but want to see food support social cohesion.

To do this, they want supply chains localised to supporting more climate-friendly forms of food production.

The report recommended that the Scottish Government should prioritise agroecological farming for state support while it called for Glasgow City Council to fully commit to the delivery of the Food Growing Strategy. 

Among the conclusions, the group proposed that the UK Government should reinstate the £20 uplift to charge to Universal Credit to curb increasing foodbank usage.

The conclusion reads: "We need to see an end to foodbanks. At a bare minimum, the UK Government should reinstate the £20 uplift which will lift thousands away from emergency aid.

"A Minimum Income Guarantee could give what is needed to get by. However, Universal Basic Income at the highest level, set by the Fraser Allander study, could be transformative for the entire population if a Scottish pilot is tested widely and fully inclusive.

"The results from this could then be used as evidence for change."

The report can be viewed HERE.