IT seems that every week we keep learning of another devastating impact the continued roll out of Universal Credit is having on people across Inverclyde.

At the start of this week, through this newspaper, I raised the startling new figures that showed the sharp increase on people using the Inverclyde foodbank.

A third of those that started using the foodbank did so due to the delay in receiving payment.

According to new figures from The Trussell Trust, Britain's biggest foodbank charity, there has been a massive increase in the number of people going to the local foodbank in West Blackhall Street, to feed themselves and their families. In the past two years usage has increased by 162 per cent.

I am forever thankful to all the volunteers that help run the foodbank and of course the people of Inverclyde that support it.

Furthermore, volunteers in community groups and churches, organisations such as the St Vincent De Paul society, continue to work tirelessly across Inverclyde to help improve the lives of people across Inverclyde.

The stark reality is that for too many people, in our communities, life is tough at the moment and I’m glad we have community groups, and many people that agree, that its only right that we have a welfare state to help people when they need help.

Sadly universal credit doesn’t do that.

In 2018 this just is not acceptable. The council did not create this mess but were we are able to step in to provide people a safety net from the UK governments shambolic Universal Credit we will do so.

In fact, for many years now the council and the Scottish Government have been going to great lengths to mitigate the very worst of the UK Governments austerity agenda.

Of course, as a council, it’s our job to provide quality public services that serve the needs of people in Inverclyde.

A lot of these services you might never see or indeed never need to use. But our public services, like our welfare state, should exist to improve the common good for everyone in our community.

The UK Government seem to have forgotten that but it is a principle that the members of Inverclyde Council and our Scottish Government very much believe in.