A recent study by the charity Trussell has revealed that over 9 million people in the UK are experiencing extreme levels of poverty and hunger, making them vulnerable to relying on charity food handouts. The report found that Labour’s promise to remove the “moral scar” of food banks would not be fulfilled unless low household incomes were addressed, with one in seven of the population falling into this category.
The research also showed that there were 1 million more people living in “hunger and hardship” conditions compared to five years ago, with nearly 3 million more than there were two decades ago. This rapid growth has led to record levels of food bank use.
Children are especially at risk of facing hunger and hardship, with a fifth of all UK youngsters falling into this category. Trussell is calling for urgent action to address this issue, including protecting the incomes of those on universal credit and uprating housing benefit rates in line with rents.
While the charity acknowledges that abolishing the two-child benefit limit would help larger families, it believes more comprehensive changes are needed to address the needs of those facing food bank use, including disabled people and unpaid carers.
Trussell has pledged to end the need for food banks, arguing they have no place in a “just and compassionate society”. The government has stated that it is committed to tackling child poverty through various initiatives, such as the child poverty taskforce and the extension of the household support fund. However, critics are calling for immediate action to relieve the widespread hardship experienced by millions across the country.
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