Middle East Conflict to Impact Poverty in the Region

A COUNCILLOR has warned that the escalating Middle East conflict is going to indirectly hit Dumfries and Galloway residents hard.

North West Dumfries Councillor Andy Ferguson is becoming increasingly worried that the US-Israel war with Iran could trigger a wave of poverty not seen here in a generation.

He’s called for an urgent review of council services supporting vulnerable residents due to the ongoing conflict.

UK household energy bills are rising due to global supply disruptions stemming from the conflict and Ofgem hiked its price cap by 13 percent on July 1 due to soaring wholesale gas prices. This will hit millions of households on variable tariffs, and bills could climb further if disruption ​to shipments persists.

Councillor Ferguson tabled a motion at last week’s full council meeting for the local authority to prepare for a surge in demand for anti-poverty services.
He said: “When the 2026 budget was set, none of us had a clear indication that such a dramatic escalation in the Middle East was imminent. We could not have predicted the scale of disruption now unfolding.

“Yet the budget we passed included reductions in the very commissions and services that support our most vulnerable citizens.
“That decision was made in a different context.”

Councillor Ferguson warned that families already struggling would be pushed over the edge, and people who had never previously needed council support could soon find themselves doing so.

He said: “If we do not prepare for this surge, we will fail the people who rely on us most.”

He was particularly worried about the impact on smaller grassroots organisations running lunch clubs and warm hubs, adding: “Who’s talking to the village green people, the community centres who are doing lunch clubs every week, just to keep people fed? They’re the ones who are actually getting hammered by the cost of food, cost of heating, cost of energy.”

The motion called for an urgent review of all council contingencies and commissioned services aimed at supporting vulnerable communities.

Abbey Councillor Kim Lowe highlighted the importance of working together, adding: “Dumfries and Galloway Citizens’ Advice Service can access funds that we can’t. The council can access funds that DAGCAS can’t — and this is why we need the dual approach.”

Annandale South Councillor Richard Brodie welcomed the motion but raised concerns about a controversial budget cut made by the council for the year ahead.

He said: “There is one black cloud on the horizon and that is a cut of 20 percent to the Citizens’ Advice service contract. This is a big blow to our anti-poverty strategy — every pound we put in is the main way to protect people from poverty.”

A follow-up report is expected in September.