The Guardian Online last week contained an article by Caelainn Barr demonstrating that poorer areas have been effected at almost twice the rate of affluent areas by Covid-19. Figures in the Guardian only cover England and Wales so far, and it is yet to be seen how the variations in approach by the Scottish Government will impact the figures in Scotland, but the latest data available seems to suggest that it is the poorest in our societies who still bear the brunt. So, how are those organisations which are specifically set up to aid those most vulnerable coping during this time when extra pressure is placed upon the poorest? I decided to see how some of these groups were coping in our city of Perth so far. I spoke to Eleanor Kelleher who is coordinator of the Perth and Kinross food bank, which operates under the umbrella of the Trussell Trust.
The Trussell Trust released figures saying across the UK that it issued almost double the normal volume of packages, 50,000 in the first two weeks after lockdown came into force on March 23rd. Patrick Butler also reported that other organisations such as the Independent Food Aid Network are reporting as much as a 59% increase from this time last year.
Does this same pattern hold in Perth? Eleanor told me that the number of people using the service since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak has not dramatically increased. Around 110 vouchers are being referred to the food bank each week representing families or individuals receiving food packages. However, it seems that the various community groups that have been formed in Perth, and in the towns and villages beyond, may be masking the true extent of the crisis. There are many who are using the service for the first time due to job losses or wage loss due to the virus and it is likely they will continue to need help once the lockdown has been eased and long beyond. The true extent of hunger during the pandemic may then only become clear in the months and year after it has been lifted.
Comparing this to 2019 however, seems to present a slightly more drastic picture. There is an increase of around 25% in food bank usage since this time last year in the city due to a number of factors. ‘The State of Hunger’ report produced by Herriot Watt University with the Trussell Trust reports that 2/3 of households requiring to use a food bank (across the UK) had problems with benefit claims in the 12 months before they used the food bank. The study also found that universal credit user are 2 and a half times more likely to be food bank users than those who are not. This presents a worrying truth; the pandemic is not the cause of hunger in this country, however, it has demonstrated the weaknesses of the benefits system that already exist.
The way in which the community has reacted has been a credit to the city of Perth. As well as local stores delivering fresh goods to the food bank, Tesco has also begun delivering to the food bank. A number of cafes in Perth have also donated food to help the hungry during this time. Throughout Perth a number of community groups, running larders or food banks themselves, have been formed and serve the community. However, can these community groups be expected to continue to take up the burden after the pandemic is over? It seems unlikely. Yet, the government seems unwilling to consider helping people over getting people back to work.
After the pandemic we cannot return to business as usual. This requires a fundamental re-examination of how we deal with hunger in this country, the woeful inadequacies of our system have been demonstrated by the virus pandemic. This is demonstrated by increases in food poverty reported by both the Trussell Trust and the Independent Food Aid Network across the UK in just the first two weeks of the pandemic. The extent to which this problem existed in the first two weeks of the crisis demonstrates how precarious both our benefits system and the work situation of many people across the UK is. Perth is not exempt from these problems, far from it. And the problems of our own city are a microcosm of Scotland’s situation.
The pandemic is unprecedented, but the reaction of the system is not. The first worry was businesses and getting the economy going again. The reaction of regular people was also predictable, but is no less admirable because it was predictable. The people of Perth (and cities across the world) have rallied to help other people. The governments have often been less than helpful. After this, things must change in our society and, as shown by this pandemic, it will be up to normal people to begin that change.