Thousands of Lanarkshire residents are suffering as the cost of living crisis hits home.
Lanarkshire Live has heard of a number of issues across the Rutherglen and Cambuslang area, including energy bills more than doubling for some, foodbank donations declining as residents have less cash to spend on others, and rising anxiety and stress levels for worried families.
The current situation was described as "heartbreaking" by the region's MSP Clare Haughey, who told us she's seen a rise in constituents speaking to her about money worries.
One resident, speaking anonymously, told us they were left close to tears at the effect it was having on their mother, a pensioner.
They stated: "Watching my mum fill a flask of tea in the morning so she doesn't need to use electricity to boil the kettle during the day is heartbreaking.
"She shouldn't have these worries after working her whole life. I’m trying not to put the heating on either and I wear several layers of clothing instead - it's difficult as I'm still working from home for part of the week.
"My anxiety has gone up as I'm worried about paying everything on temporary contracts."
Katharina Nimmo, the manager of the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Foodbank, said the current crisis was having an effect on their services.
She told us: "We have been seeing a slow decrease in the amount of donations, which is because more and more people simply cannot afford to spend on others right now.
"We are also seeing more and more new people coming to us now, and needing the foodbank's help. That's being driven by the cost of living going up so much."
The crisis has been caused by soaring inflation, which hit a 30 year high earlier in 2022, with prices on everyday food among those to increase - hitting those on smaller budgets the hardest.
Then in April energy and gas bills saw a massive hike, after regulator Ofgem increased the price cap in response to record high energy market prices, caused by the global crisis in supply - which has again affected people in poorer areas the most.
Some Rutherglen locals have seen their monthly bills go from under £100 to over £300 as a result of the changes.
Another resident confirmed to us they'd seen an increase of £120 a month.
Ms Haughey, the Rutherglen MSP, said she had seen a marked increase in locals needing help, with many of those contacting her being people who had never been in touch before..
She stated: "The Tory cost of living crisis is resulting in many of my constituents choosing between heating their homes or having food on the table. Surging energy prices and increased costs to everyday living is getting out of hand.
"I’ve heard from many Rutherglen and Cambuslang residents who have shared their deep concerns, and it is heart-breaking. People already struggling aren’t coping whilst those that were just about managing are now in poverty.
"Frankly, the UK Government has been missing in action. At the very least, they should have scraped the National Insurance hike, slashed energy bills by cutting VAT, and brought in a real Living Wage.
"This could have been paid for by a broad-based windfall tax but the Chancellor’s not listening."
Carol Nugent, a Rutherglen South councilor currently standing for re-election next month, recently told us that she was now hearing from constituents on a "almost daily basis" about the cost of living.
She said: "“On an almost daily basis I am hearing from families in Rutherglen who are facing a squeeze on income due to soaring energy and living costs.
"I therefore welcome the increase to Scottish social security payments to get more money into the pockets of those most in need. The Tory cost of living crisis is going to be very tough on local people and I know that steps like this will really help."
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