DWP delays mean more food parcels

Sep 4 2012

A woman with a six-month-old baby is among those referred to a food bank to help feed her family.

The woman's case is one of those highlighted in the Citizens Advice Scotland report.

It reveals how the mother, previously a single parent, made a joint application for jobseeker's allowance after forming a relationship with her partner who is the father of her new baby.

When the couple made the application her claims for child tax credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit were stopped, leaving her with child benefit as her only income, she said. The woman turned to a Citizens Advice Bureau in the south of Scotland for help, reporting that she had not heard anything about her new benefit application after two weeks.

When she asked about the delay, she said no reason was given and was told she would just have to wait for a decision. As the woman had no money for food, she was referred to a local food bank for help.

A Citizens Advice Bureau in the west of Scotland referred a woman with diabetes for a food parcel because she was left without benefits for weeks because of delays. The woman has been using a wheelchair for almost a year because of a degenerative disease linked to her diabetes.

She applied for employment and support allowance (ESA) but was classed as fit for work and was told to apply for jobseeker's allowance (JSA). When she made the JSA application the woman was then told she was indeed not fit for work and should reapply for ESA.

Although she had made the claim three weeks before, she was told it could take another 14 days to process her application.

In the same region, a Citizens Advice Bureau reported that one man whom staff were helping has to rely on food parcels from local churches.

The man, who is homeless, said a sanction was applied to his jobseeker's allowance because he missed a date for signing on for the second time this year. As he could not claim a hardship payment or crisis loan, he was referred for a food parcel.