The welfare state safety net is “riddled with holes” after years of austerity, the depute leader of West Lothian Council claimed this week as she backed a campaign by food banks for an uplift in the basic rate of Universal Credit.
In a year which has seen local volunteers provide almost 6,000 emergency food parcels, West Lothian’s Food Bank has called for support for a national campaign to increase UC payments to meet soaring costs.
The basic rate of UC is £85 a week, but the national food bank charity the Trussell Trust says it costs £120 a week for a person to cover essential costs including heating, eating and travel.
