Around 340,000 people in the North East are at risk of needing to use a food bank because of rising cost-of-living pressures, according to the anti-poverty charity Trussell. The figure marks an increase of 20,000 people compared with the previous year.
The charity said that rising energy prices and other costs have left more than a third of a million people in the region going without food or making other major sacrifices to get by.
Survey highlights food insecurity
A survey for Trussell found that 30% of people in the North East said their household had run out of food and could not afford to buy more at some point in the last year. Disabled people and families with children were more likely to go without.
Trussell has challenged the Government to act on the issue, saying the test of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s plan to tackle the cost of living is whether food bank need falls. Ahead of the Budget, the charity is calling for urgent action to ensure more people can afford at least the essentials.
Inflation rises to 3.5%
The Trussell report was published on the same day that official figures showed inflation rising to 3.5%, the highest level in almost a year. Higher petrol prices were a major factor in that rise, but increases in food prices also contributed.
Helen Barnard, Trussell's director of policy and research, said: “People just a few streets over from you are sitting in the dark to save electricity, skipping meals so their kids can eat, feeling invisible and alone as they try to get by for weeks and weeks without any support.
“Every day, people pull together across communities to make a difference – donating and getting emergency food to neighbours and providing advice and support so that people don’t need to turn to a food bank in the future. But together we can and must go further, particularly as prices rise once more.”
Food bank managers worry about winter
Tracey Godfrey-Harrison, manager at Middlesbrough Foodbank, said: "We're really worried about winter. We are doing everything we can to support people in our communities as the colder months close in. But the rising cost of food and energy will make it even harder for us to keep services running."
Both the Government and North East mayor Kim McGuinness have moved to try to reduce child poverty. The Government’s decision to scrap the two-child benefit cap was broadly seen as a positive move.
But Trussell said many families are being forced to turn to loans, credit, or informal support from friends or family to meet their children’s needs in the last six months. One in twelve parents across the UK (8%) have had to skip meals so their children could eat or have enough food.
Government response
A Government spokesperson said: "Every person deserves the security of knowing they can afford to eat, keep warm and build a decent life, which is why we're determined to turn the tide on poverty and help more people into secure jobs.
"Household incomes are up 5% in real terms, and we’re continuing to ease cost-of-living pressures including raising the National Minimum Wage and suspending tariffs on everyday staples, leading to lower prices at the till.
"Our manifesto committed to end the need for emergency food, and we are investing over £4bn to end homelessness and rough sleeping for good."
