The Church of Scotland has called on the UK Chancellor, Philip Hammond, to use tomorrow's Budget to tackle poverty by ending the benefits freeze and halting the rollout of controversial Universal Credit reforms.
Church of Scotland convener Dr Richard Frazer has written to Hammond asking him to spare families the 'life altering consequences' of poverty that comes with having to rely on benefits.
Dr Frazer called on the Chancellor to 'ensure that the poorest communities do not suffer disproportionately and are not made to bear a greater burden than was originally intended' through benefits reforms.
Charities say thousands of people in pilot areas have been forced into rent arrears and have been left with little to eat because of a minimum six-week delay to initial payments when it comes to Universal Credit. Reports suggest that with the government under pressure, it is considering cutting this to four weeks.
Frazer also called for an increase to the social fund funeral payment to support those who have difficulty meeting the cost of burying loved ones. 'Looking forward we understand that the outcome of the Brexit negotiations will have significant implications for the UK's economy, and that present levels of uncertainty are already having a direct impact,' he wrote in his letter.
'During such times of significant transition, those who are already on the margins of society, particularly those experiencing poverty, are liable to be negatively impacted.
'We would therefore urge you to consider this and ensure that the budget makes provision for responding to this potential for harm.'
The Church of Scotland added that more support for renewable energy schemes to reduce the threat of global warming should also be included in the Budget.
