Figures released from the Trussell Trust this week showed that 823,145 emergency food parcels were given to people in crisis by food banks associated with the charity between April to September this year.
The last six months have been the busiest on record for food banks as the need for emergency parcels soared by 23%.
Across the East of England, 84,983 three-day emergency food supplies were given out by the Trussell Trust in that period.
Responding to the figures, Green Party Member of the European Parliament, Catherine Rowett, commented:
“The fact that we have people needing to use food banks at all in the 21st century is yet another damning indictment of the current government’s failure to ensure that ordinary working people in our society can make ends meet.
“The government proudly states that most people are in work, but something is crucially wrong when working all the hours you are asked to work still leaves you unable to pay the bills and feed the children by the end of the week. Given the massive increase in foodbank use, I also think that it is utterly reprehensible that the government has failed to spend EU money allocated to supporting the poorest in our society here in the UK.”
Between 2014 and 2020, the UK was allocated more than £3.5m from the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived, to be used in projects such as child poverty, homelessness or food banks.
However, it was reported earlier this year that a significant amount of this has already been forfeited or was at risk of being wasted because the government has failed to spend it.
The Trussell Trust highlighted three key factors that need to change if the number of people turning to food banks is to be reduced. These were: the five week wait for Universal Credit; the fact that benefits often do not cover the cost of living; and the lack of local emergency support for people in situations of unforeseen crisis.
Catherine Rowett responded saying:
“Austerity and the cruel benefit sanctions regime have turned us into a divided society. We urgently need to create a more equal society so that charities no longer have to make up for serious defects in the welfare and benefit systems.”