New figures reveal that food bank use in Scotland has soared to more than one million for the first time with record numbers seeking help from UK’s biggest food bank charity.

Glasgow had the highest numbers with 17,571 people turning to food banks.

The most significant factors in driving demand were administrative delays in paying social security benefits, low income, benefits sanctions and debt.

The Trussell trust figures show that in 2014-2015 29 per cent of the total turned to foodbanks because their benefits had been delayed and 21 per cent due to low income.

Teresa O’Hara, manager of East Renfrewshire Citizen’s Advice Bureau (ERCAB), she says that many people are becoming reliant on food banks.

She said: “In the last year we have handed out more than 1,000 food bank vouchers.

“The food bank was only every supposed to be a temporary aid to people in difficult situations, however we are seeing people actually beginning to become reliant on them - this is a major issue.

“Before we close on a Friday it can be very busy in here with people needing food packages just to see them through the weekend, and on some occasions we can issue as many as 20 tokens in one day.

“The work that the food bank does is fantastic, and as it stands we are only seeing increasing numbers of people using it due to things such as benefit sanctions, delays in payments and debts.

“Around 42 per cent of all referrals to the food bank come from ERCAB.

“If someone needs aid, we are happy to help out with it and we are completely non-judgemental.

“We have had cases recently of wealthy families becoming split, and one side, a mother or a father, being left with no money.

“They might have a large home and a Jaguar sitting outside, but they are affected just as much as anyone else by sudden changes in their lives, such as sudden unemployment or family break-ups.” The Trussell Trust is a charity that partners with churches and communities to open new food banks nationwide and currently runs over 420 food banks.

Trussell Trust UK food bank director Adrian Curtis said: “Despite welcome signs of economic recovery, hunger continues to affect significant numbers of men, women and children in the UK today.

“It’s difficult to be sure of the full extent of the problem as Trussell Trust figures don’t include people who are helped by other food charities or those who feel too ashamed to seek help.

“Trussell Trust food banks are increasingly hosting additional services like debt counselling and welfare advice at our food banks, which is helping more people out of crisis.

“The Trussell Trust’s latest figures highlight how vital it is that we all work to prevent and relieve hunger in the UK.

“It’s crucial that we listen to the experiences of people using food banks to truly understand the nature of the problems they face; what people who have gone hungry have to say holds the key to finding the solution.” The issue of food banks is high on the political agenda with Gordon Brown this week promising that a Labour government will give food banks in Scotland £1 million within 24 hours of being elected.

What the candidates say....

Jim Murphy - Scottish Labour “The work of food bank volunteers is inspiring, but the need for food banks at all is enraging. Scotland needs an alternative to Tory austerity that tackles these problems head on. Only a Labour Government can do it.

At this election Scotland faces a choice: the road to a second referendum with the SNP or the road to a fairer economy and an end to the need for food banks with Labour.” Graeme Cowie - Scottish Liberal Democrats “No politician can credibly say they will abolish the need for food banks. Even wealthy European nations like Germany have seen significant growth of food banks in recent years. With the best will in the world some people will always slip through the net in a welfare system. What we can do is try to make those instances as rare as possible.” Robert Malyn - UKIP “We need to get the low paid out of the tax system, clamp on the abuse of zero hours contracts. We also need to stop slapping green taxes on energy bills — this causes fuel poverty which affects 900,000 Scottish households and nearly two million Scots who are presently forced to choose between food or fuel. Once we have sorted these issues then we look at some of the other more complicated causes.” Kirsten Oswald - SNP “We need the powers to create real economic growth, to improve the wages of people in work, and to look after those with disabilities or caring responsibilities.

We have an opportunity to send a message to Westminster that this continued austerity with it’s terrible impact on the most vulnerable needs to stop. We need a stronger voice to make sure that we have the powers to tackle poverty and inequality in our society, so that we can make food banks a thing of the past.” David Montgomery - Scottish Conservatives “We need a strong economy with more and better paid jobs. We need to fight to end joblessness. We need to clamp down on businesses illegally avoiding paying the minimum wage, we need to keep increasing the minimum wage and we need to make it easier for businesses to pay staff the living wage. Reducing dependence on food banks relies on delivering a strong economy, and a vote for the Conservatives on May 7 will help deliver that economy.”