A CHARITY has defended its decision to invite Scotland’s only Tory MP to open a new food bank in Dumfries.
David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary and MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, will open the Trussell Trust project later today.
He has previously questioned claims of a link between food bank use and the Tories’ welfare reforms.
However, the Trussell Trust said it was “standard practice” to invite the local MP to the launch of a new facility.
Ewan Gurr, its Scotland network manager, said: “Like many small rural towns, Dumfries has seen the impact of the rising cost of food and fuel, insecure nature of employment and welfare reform, which has created financial hardship for many individuals and families throughout the entire local authority of Dumfries and Galloway.
“Our position is pretty clear on the living wage, insecure employment and on welfare reform. While we disagree [with Mundell] it is a respectful disagreement and we will be making our points absolutely clear when we speak on Friday.”
A charity spokesman said in a statement that the trust had opened 50 food banks in 27 of Scotland’s local authority areas.
He added: “When a food bank is due to launch, it is standard practice to invite the local elected Member of Parliament to say a few words about the opening of the local food bank.”
Other local elected representatives had also been invited to the launch, he said.
“We believe it is important for him [Mundell], as well as the elected representatives from all other political parties, to be aware of the implications hunger has on the people of his own constituency,” added the spokesman.
“We welcome his willingness to participate in the launch and hear from the people who will be working to tackle food poverty in the area.
“The Trussell Trust supports a robust and resilient welfare system and is keen to engage with elected representatives from all political parties to raise the challenges of insecure employment, decreasing or static incomes, increasing living costs and welfare reform, which are among the key drivers that lead to hunger.
“We have met with David Mundell to discuss these issues previously and are keen to continue to ensure he is aware of the impact they have on his constituents.
“We will ask that he takes our evidence on the drivers of food poverty and our proposed solutions back to his colleagues in Westminster.”
The Trussell Trust’s latest figures showed a 65 per cent year-on-year rise in food bank use in Scotland with a three-day emergency food supply provided in 117,689 instances in 2014/15.
Earlier this year, another
Dumfries food bank run by the First Base Agency claimed that Tory policies were directly contributing to poverty and use of the facilities.
However, Mundell said the claims by Mark Frankland, a volunteer with First Base, “should be taken with a pinch of salt” because he was an outspoken supporter of Scottish independence.
The new Dumfries food bank will be based at the town’s Apex centre and will work with 26 local agencies to identify people in crisis.
Fiona Dalgleish, the centre co-ordinator at Apex, said it was expected to be very busy.
She commented: “The food bank in Dumfries will be an absolute necessity to support local people and help them break the cycle of poverty.”
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