by Lorraine Gillies, Chief Officer, SCSN
Is there anyone not feeling the pinch just now?Ā As the news reports the fastest fall in real pay on record, – the cost of living crisis comes into everyoneās orbit.
The statistics are terrifying, and change with pace ā by the time I write this and publish it, all will be worse
The Fuel Bank Foundation says this ā āItās hard to believe that some people in the UK are today living without heat, light and power. This is because they donāt have money to top up their prepayment meter. These people live in cold homes and are unable to cook a hot meal for their family, or have a shower before a job interview.
Itās only getting worse. We call this fuel crisis.ā
The Trussell trust said this in May 2022 -: āIn recent weeks we have been encouraged by politicians to cut back on luxuries and shop around for cheaper supermarket staples. But for people already struggling to afford the essentials, there is simply nothing left to cut and food banks across the UK are picking up the pieces.āĀ Ā
The Scottish Community Safety Network is REALLY concerned about this.
With the predicted Ā£3500 price cap rise just two months away the Wise Group are hosting an emergency leadership summit in August, and we will be there.
Why?
Iām not going to inundate you with all the stuff evidencing the links between poverty, inequality and crime, violence against women and girls, anti-social behaviour ā if you know us you will find all of that on our website.Ā Itās all there.Ā And well-articulated by our friends Niven Rennie from the Violence Reduction Unit – and in this recent āSCSN Conversations Withā¦ā interview – as Dr Anna Pearce describes how inequality affects child and home safety.
But I want to ask why we are in the ring?
Fundamentally, we want to see a Safer Scotland. And we believe that means an equal Scotland, where prevention really is better than a costly cure.
Thatās why we bang on so much about poverty and thatās why we will continue to do so.
N.B. See also last yearās guest blog by Austin Smith of the Scottish Drugs Forum on the links between poverty and Scotlandās Drug Deaths Crisis.