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Food handouts aren’t a long term solution

Posted by Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, at 10:28, Fri 28 June 2013:

This week saw yet another set of government spending announcements. On Wednesday, the chancellor of the exchequer set out his spending (and cutting) plans for 2015. The next day, the chief secretary to the treasury gave us details of planned capital spending.

There were thin pickings. Capital spending is down in real terms. There was mildly encouraging news about the Metrolink extension to Trafford Park, but it certainly isn't a done and dusted deal.

And announcements of further pay freezes and cuts to benefits people can claim if they lose their job were deeply depressing and worrying.

The respected independent Institute of Fiscal Studies showed that it's the poorest households who are losing out.

As things become more desperate, more and more families are really struggling to make ends meet. I've been really shocked at the huge rise in the number of people having to rely on foodbanks. The figure has almost tripled in the past year.

I can't imagine how hard I would find it to have to ask for food. But the Trussell Trust, a national charity that is hoping to open a foodbank in Stretford soon, estimates that around half a million people are having to rely on foodbanks.

It's a really shocking statistic in the 7th richest country in the world.

So I was delighted last week to attend an event jointly organised by Kellogg's and the Manchester Evening News, who are campaigning together to expose the scandal of food poverty, and take action to address it.

The event, attended by businesses and community groups from across Greater Manchester, was packed out. The discussion mostly focussed on practical things that the organisations in the room could do.

Kellogg's have committed to donating cereal and snacks to 15 million people in food poverty over the next 3 years.

Asda are supplying Fairshare, which distributes food to foodbanks and community groups, with surplus, unsaleable stock.

Other organisations offered help with training volunteers to staff foodbanks, help with advertising them, and we hope some will be able to offer premises from which more foodbanks can operate.

But nearly everyone in the room acknowledged none of this should be necessary.

It's outrageous that many working people are on such low wages that they have to rely on foodbanks. That's why I'm campaigning for all employers - starting with local authorities and the public sector - to pay a living wage.

It's a disgrace that around half of all those going to foodbanks have experienced delays, mistakes or withdrawal of their benefits. The state that ought to be helping is instead making things worse.

Food handouts aren't the way to go in the long run; even in developing economies, we've realised they should only be an emergency stopgap measure. But I'm very worried that under this government, they're here to stay.

Having to ask for food parcels is disempowering, it's stigmatising, and it strips people of their dignity. Foodbanks are doing a good job filling a much needed gap, but we should really be addressing the root causes of the problem: low pay, prices that are rising faster than wages, and an ungenerous and unreliable safety net.

Trussell Trust say they aim to open a foodbank in every town in the UK.

But my vision is for a time when we can close down every foodbank in the country, because no-one in the UK goes hungry, and everyone can afford to eat.

Kate Green

Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston

Shadow Spokesperson for Equality