UK Bill Help

Even with the UK economy growing (albeit slowly) the number of people turning to a food bank for assistance is soaring. Usage through April 2018 has increased 13% since 2017, and now about 8% of all people in the UK have turned to a free food bank. Or they have received a hot meal from a soup kitchen.

Not only are more adults turning to one of these food banks for help, but another one million people have cut back on how much food they give their child as they can’t afford to pay the bills, buy groceries, cover housing and other expenses. It is so critical to give a child a full, healthy meal so they can grow, but alert in school, and learn. With millions of children all across the UK now in food poverty the problem is becoming major.

Much of the data was from a group known as JRF, and it was run in partnership with Trussell Trust as well as Heriot-Watt University. Newspaper surveys also added to the sampling. It was done to highlight the number of poor people and destitution across the UK, with the aim of child food poverty too.

Not only are 4 million adults turning to food banks and millions of others are cutting back on the size of their food, but the data showed that about 1.5 million people in the UK are destitute. Those 1.5 million people lacked more than food. About 50 per cent do not have clothing, about 2 of 5 do not have heat in their home, and about 45 per cent lack clothing for them and their family. Many struggle to pay their rent and mortgages too, with about 15 per cent needing to sleep rough over the last 12 months.

Reasons for increasing food bank usage in 2018

The report showed many reasons. One is that wages have not kept pace with inflation, and the price of groceries is soaring to 1.2% and wages only at 2.8 per cent per the latest government data. Combine the high grocery prices with cost of housing and other bills, and household budgets are being constrained. Families just always can’t afford to buy groceries to make a meal for their home.

Another big reason is the benefit cuts, reductions, delays, and sanctions. Millions of families are being moved onto the Universal Credit, and they are struggling to pay their bills and buy food. A sanction or delay often forces them into a financial crisis, so they turn to a local food bank. With the Universal credit still being rolled out, the problem may also get worse.

There are many reasons for families struggling. Most people are impacted by more than one, whether it is a benefit change, wages not keeping up, inflation, increasing cost of housing, or whatever. No matter the result food bank usage going up by 13 per cent in one year is very bad news for the UK.