Worcester Foodbank: "Without it I wouldn't have much to eat at all"
The temporary £20 a week uplift came to an end yesterday
Last updated 20th Oct 2021
A man from Worcester say without Worcester Foodbank he be left with next to nothing to eat every week.
The foodbank is expecting demand to increase following the end to the universal credit uplift.
The £20-a-week increase was brought in as a temporary measure to help those on low incomes hit financially by coronavirus lockdowns.
It will affect just over fifty-five and a half thousand people across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
The foodbank has been preparing for this day and say they've been stockpiling food.
We've spoken to a foodbank user from Worcester called Ant
"My girlfriend and me broke up and I've moved out. We've just had a baby but she's been having a hard time with her mental health.
"I've moved into temporary accommodation but I recently got ill and lost my job so I've had to go back onto universal credit.
"It's been quite bad on my mental health situation I must admit but I've just got to take it one step at a time really.
"I don't want to be on this. I mean you get £340 or so a month? I was earning that in one week at my job so it's a big difference to earn that much a week to having to live off that for a month.
"If you're careful with your money then you can get by just about. But it's all the small things that you need that all just add up.
"Like phone credit which I need a lot more of at the moment to ring around for jobs and to have phone interviews.
"Having the foodbank is vital. I wouldn't be able to eat if I didn't have it".
The Government has faced backlash over its decision, especially in the backdrop of the rising cost of energy and food.
During the Tory Party conference, the prime minister pledged to 'level up' Britain and reshape the economy.
He's promised to do this by increasing wages, boosting skills and provide opportunities to people regardless of where they live.
Goff O'Dowd is the duty manager at Worcester Foodbank and says this is completely unrealistic.
"People that come here are often embarrassed to come here. If they could get a job rather than come here then they would.
"They simply can't get a job because they have a range of issues to deal with. A lot of them have mental health issue because of the situation they're in.
"They genuinely don't know where their next bit of money is coming from or food".
What does the Government say?
In a statement, a spokesperson said: “We’ve always been clear that the uplift to Universal Credit was temporary. It was designed to help claimants through the economic shock and financial disruption of the toughest stages of the pandemic, and it has done so.
“Universal Credit will continue to provide vital support for those both in and out of work and it’s right that the Government should focus on our Plan for Jobs, supporting people back into work and supporting those already employed to progress and earn more.”