Between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018, the Trussell Trust’s foodbank network distributed 1,332,952 three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis, 484,016 of these went to children. The figures represent a 13 per cent increase on the previous year.
According to the Trussell Trust, the biggest single and fastest growing reason for referral to a foodbank was due to low-income benefits. As such, the charity is calling for benefits to be uprated in line with inflation to ensure payments keep pace with the cost of living.
The roll-out of universal credit (UC) was a significant factor in many areas. New analysis by the charity of foodbanks that have been in UC roll-out areas for a year or more show that these foodbanks experienced an average increase of 52 per cent in the 12 months after the full roll-out of the new benefits system in the area. In comparison, foodbanks in areas either not in full UC areas, or where the new system had been rolled out for three months, showed an average increase of 13 per cent in referrals.
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