Badenoch and Strathspey community groups 'only touching tip of the iceberg' of need amid grim forecasts
Badenoch and Strathspey prepared to mark the first year of its latest food hub – which organisers fear is "only touching the tip of the iceberg of the strath's need in this cost-of-living crisis" – its MP warmed that struggling households could face bills of up to £5,000 next April.
Drew Hendry (SNP) launched his warning after the Tories performed "another screeching U-turn" and scrapped protections offered to families on the energy price cap.
Labour abstained on an SNP amendment that would have prevented the move.
In scrapping the majority of the proposals contained in the Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s financial statement, new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a scaling back of the energy price cap freeze, which will now last for only six months instead of the two years initially promised.
Mr Hendry MP branded the decision reckless, leaving local households facing massive energy bill rises again in April. Accusing the Labour party of failing to offer real opposition after their failure to vote against the changes, the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP said that real support to support households could only come with the full powers of independence: “It can be in no doubt that Scots, who are paying a heavy price for Westminster’s failures, would be better off with the full powers of independence.
“On a day where the Scottish Government set out a prospectus offering a brighter economic future, the Tory UK government was forced to roll back heavily on its proposals that crashed the UK economy. And with it, they recklessly removed the very little protection they offered to households through what is set to be an ever-worsening cost of living crisis the Tories have failed to get a grip of.
“They were already too late to act on energy bills, and now households face even bigger rises in April when the measly half-baked proposals to help families are scaled back in the latest iteration of Westminster Tory austerity.
“To help with the cost of living crisis the Scottish Government have used their limited powers to uprate eight benefits and bring in further increases to the Scottish Child Payment, but all of that work risks being undone or offset by the calamity ensuing in Westminster."
Meanwhile the strath's communities are all rallying to the support call, with food on offer simply to take away whenever people need it: Kingussie's Caberfeidh Horizons has supplies constantly available, as does Grantown's Food Shed and Aviemore's Food Hub, which is based at St Andrew's Church, where local minister Charles Finnie has also established a weekly warm for those who just want to sit near a heater and talk to somebody.
At the hub chairperson Jaci Douglas told the Strathy: "We all have such an important to do and I'm relieved to say that so many people want to volunteer their services and donate their supplies.
"The problem we're having now is reaching those who need help but don't know how to bring themselves to admit it and to break through their own barriers.
"I want to remind them there is nothing judgmental in what we do - this is simply about the community all pulling together for the community. Everyone needs to be reaching out now."
The Food Hub is holding its AGM between 7 and 8pm on Monday (24) both physically, at St Andrew's Hall, and on Zoom. Info at: bandsfoodhub@gmail.com
