An Aberdeen MP says her office has dealt with more suicidal constituents in a fortnight than they have in “whole years” as a result of cost of living pressures.
Kirsty Blackman shared the level of desperation faced by those in her Aberdeen North constituency at the SNP party conference at the P&J Live arena on Saturday.
The remarks were made during an event on the impact of rising energy bills on Scottish households – which included practical advice.
Ms Blackman told attendees it is “absolutely the issue that people are coming to us about just now”.
“They’ve got a myriad of problems and a lot of it comes down to not having enough money”, she said.
“Not having enough money to afford the barest of essentials.
“It is worse now than we ever have seen it before”.
Inequality in oil capital of Europe
Ms Blackman said people who do not know Aberdeen well may think it is that “rich city in the north-east of Scotland”.
However, she said inequality in the city is “even worse” due to prices being pushed up as a result of those on high wages in the oil and gas sector.
Ms Blackman added: “We’re seeing our Citizens Advice service in Aberdeen with a longer waiting list than they’ve ever had before.
“We’re seeing in my office more suicidal people contacting our office in the space of a fortnight then we have in whole years in the past.
“It is that level of difficulty.”
Thousands of SNP members have descended on the Granite City for its 88th annual national conference – the party’s first in-person event since Covid-19.
Ahead of the three-day conference, the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) demanded a cost-of-living support meeting with the first minister.
The union body has set out key demands for the Scottish Government, including increasing public sector pay, rent controls and wealth taxes.
It was revealed on Friday that Prime Minister Liz Truss has blocked a £15 million energy-saving public campaign.
The measure would have included newspaper and television ads asking people to take measures like turning off radiators in empty rooms.
Support for those struggling with the cost of living crisis available at:
- Advice Direct Scotland offers an advice hub completely free at the point of use. It provides informaton on benefits, energy bills, housing and employment. They can be reached on advice.scot
- Citizens Advice Scotland also provides free, independent, confidential advice and has 59 Citizens Advice bureaux across Scotland.
- In Aberdeen, the city council’s financial inclusion team can provide a benefits assessment.