Food poverty in the UK is scandalously and unacceptably high. Research by the Trussell Trust suggests that there will be a 61% rise in foodbank need this winter. Throughout the pandemic our local food banks – Brixton and Norwood Foodbank and Southwark Foodbank – have provided essential support to families who have lost income and been unable to afford food and other essentials. I am so grateful to the teams of staff and volunteers at our foodbanks for all that they have done to meet increasing need in our communities. However, they are desperately concerned that government policies will result in food poverty continuing to rise.
The Government is planning to withdraw the emergency £20 per week increase in Universal Credit in March. With no guarantee that the pandemic will have subsided, or that the economy will have rebounded by then, this will make it impossible for many families across the country to make ends meet. This week I paid tribute to the tireless work of our local foodbanks and asked the Minister for Work and Pensions to act urgently to end food poverty >>
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