Norfolk foodbank call on government to reintroduce £20 uplift to universal credit
Jeremy Hunt's 'medium-term fiscal plan' didn't unveil any additional support
Last updated 18th Oct 2022
A Norfolk foodbank is calling on the new chancellor to reintroduce the £20 uplift to universal credit, to help those struggling with rising costs.
The calls comes after Jeremy Hunt's 'medium-term fiscal plan' dumped a majority of the mini-budget's proposed tax cuts but unveiled no new support.
"There is no evidence that the Government are going to do anything"
Helen Gilbert is the project manager of the King's Lynn foodbank.
She told us that demand on them is rising:
"It is going to be a hard winter for a lot of people, this year. At the moment there is no evidence that the Government are going to do anything to make it easier for people. What we need to happen is for there to be whole-sale improvements to benefits for people. Many are being pushed into poverty".
"We are seeing more and more of this"
She's disappointed that no new help was put forwards:
"I think he needs to do more to help those who are struggling and not just those who are on benefits but those who are working but still struggling to make ends meet. We are seeing more and more of this in foodbanks across the country and not just in West Norfolk. In September we had a 70% increase on the number of people that we fed as opposed to September 2021".
"These rising mortgage rates have caused at the very least a great deal of anxiety to people, if not real financial hardship. I imagine that we will be seeing the effects of this over the next few months. We still have high prices of food and energy; people are still going to be struggling this winter".
What have the Government said to all this?
The Government say their plan will ensure economic stability and highlights the Treasury's commitment to fiscal discipline.