Food banks across London have seen rising demand in recent years
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Helen Barnard, the director of policy from The Trussell Trust has called for more critical thinking on hunger in Britain in response to the Chancellor’s Budget yesterday.
In a statement, Barnard said ‘there is no time to lose in turning the tide on hunger in the UK – the government must set out a clear plan to end the need for emergency food and ensure that we do not see even more people facing hunger on its watch.’
In the Budget, Rachel Reeves credited Trussell Trust representatives along with members of The Joseph Rowntree Foundation for advising her to reduce the debt repayments that can be taken from a household’s universal credit each month.
The repayments will be reduced from 25% to 15% of their standard allowance. Reeves says this change will mean ‘1.2 million of the poorest households will keep more of their award each month lifting children out of poverty’. Those who benefit are told they will gain £420 a year.
Despite this, Barnard said these changes may not be enough. She says, ‘today’s announcements still fall short of the action required to truly protect people from being forced to turn to food banks to survive.’
Barnard emphasises the urgency of fulfilling the new pledges at a time when the charities output of emergency food parcels is increasing. This year the Trussell Trust distributed more than 3.1 million emergency food parcels to people facing hardship – an increase of 94% over the past five years. The Trust also reported a 37% increase in demand for food parcels from 2021 to 2023 and an additional 4% increase between 2022 and 2024.
The busiest food bank in London, in Deptford (City News)
The Independent Food Aid Network contextualises these reports by stating that nearly 75% of food banks reported increased demand from November 2023 to January 2024 on the previous year. In London alone, around 4454,750 used a food bank this year, which is an increase of 99,790 from last year.
Barnard explained that the UK government now needs to ‘fulfil its manifesto commitments and end the need for emergency food’ by demonstrating both systemic reform and investment in social security.
Concerns at Euston Foodbank that the government isn’t demonstrating enough ‘political will’ to stop foodbanks altogether
Helena Aksentijevic, who runs the Euston Foodbank, (under the Trussell Trust), argues that there’s not enough ‘political will’ to solve the issue of food poverty in Central London.
‘In central London, we’re not seeing numbers go down. We’re the sixth richest economy in the world and we can’t afford to give people enough food.’
She added that ‘foodbanks shouldn’t exist. The previous labour administration, under Jeremy Corbyn, said they would stop foodbanks in a couple of years. This party thinks that foodbanks are a good thing.’
Another London foodbank in Hackney reported that the number of children using their foodbank has doubled in two years. They conducted a survey that found that fifty-two per cent of respondents said they had skipped meals more than once a week because there wasn’t enough money for food.
Food poverty services all around London and the UK anticipate the proposed positive effects of the Budget with a mix of gratitude and unease. Widespread anxieties remain regarding whether cuts in debt repayments will level the food poverty that we’re watching rise at a staggering rate.
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Headline‘There is no time to lose in turning the tide on hunger in the UK’: Food poverty charity responds to the Budget
Short Headline'No time to lose in turning the tide on hunger in the UK’ - Food charity
StandfirstThe UK’s largest food-bank provider has criticised the Chancellor’s Budget
Helen Barnard, the director of policy from The Trussell Trust has called for more critical thinking on hunger in Britain in response to the Chancellor’s Budget yesterday.
In a statement, Barnard said ‘there is no time to lose in turning the tide on hunger in the UK – the government must set out a clear plan to end the need for emergency food and ensure that we do not see even more people facing hunger on its watch.’
In the Budget, Rachel Reeves credited Trussell Trust representatives along with members of The Joseph Rowntree Foundation for advising her to reduce the debt repayments that can be taken from a household’s universal credit each month.
The repayments will be reduced from 25% to 15% of their standard allowance. Reeves says this change will mean ‘1.2 million of the poorest households will keep more of their award each month lifting children out of poverty’. Those who benefit are told they will gain £420 a year.
Despite this, Barnard said these changes may not be enough. She says, ‘today’s announcements still fall short of the action required to truly protect people from being forced to turn to food banks to survive.’
Barnard emphasises the urgency of fulfilling the new pledges at a time when the charities output of emergency food parcels is increasing. This year the Trussell Trust distributed more than 3.1 million emergency food parcels to people facing hardship – an increase of 94% over the past five years. The Trust also reported a 37% increase in demand for food parcels from 2021 to 2023 and an additional 4% increase between 2022 and 2024.
The busiest food bank in London, in Deptford (City News)
The Independent Food Aid Network contextualises these reports by stating that nearly 75% of food banks reported increased demand from November 2023 to January 2024 on the previous year. In London alone, around 4454,750 used a food bank this year, which is an increase of 99,790 from last year.
Barnard explained that the UK government now needs to ‘fulfil its manifesto commitments and end the need for emergency food’ by demonstrating both systemic reform and investment in social security.
Concerns at Euston Foodbank that the government isn’t demonstrating enough ‘political will’ to stop foodbanks altogether
Helena Aksentijevic, who runs the Euston Foodbank, (under the Trussell Trust), argues that there’s not enough ‘political will’ to solve the issue of food poverty in Central London.
‘In central London, we’re not seeing numbers go down. We’re the sixth richest economy in the world and we can’t afford to give people enough food.’
She added that ‘foodbanks shouldn’t exist. The previous labour administration, under Jeremy Corbyn, said they would stop foodbanks in a couple of years. This party thinks that foodbanks are a good thing.’
Another London foodbank in Hackney reported that the number of children using their foodbank has doubled in two years. They conducted a survey that found that fifty-two per cent of respondents said they had skipped meals more than once a week because there wasn’t enough money for food.
Food poverty services all around London and the UK anticipate the proposed positive effects of the Budget with a mix of gratitude and unease. Widespread anxieties remain regarding whether cuts in debt repayments will level the food poverty that we’re watching rise at a staggering rate.
