Charity says there's a 'real concern' over rise in food parcels in Northamptonshire
Over 10,000 emergency food parcels have been handed out by food banks in Northamptonshire in the six months to September
Over 10,0000 emergency food parcels have been handed out by food banks in Northamptonshire between April and September this year.
New data from the Trussell Trust shows it's more than doubled in the East Midlands compared to what was needed over the same period six years ago.
There has been a slight decrease in figures seen since 2023 though.
"We're still seeing an increasing number of people facing hardship"
Amy Wisenfeld is from the charity and she says government investment in social security is crucial to cut figures:
"We've seen a really small decrease of 8% compared to the same period in 2023, but when you compare that to the 78% increase from five years ago, we've still seeing an increasing number of people facing hadship who don't have the money in their pocket for the essentials."
The data for Northamptonshire, in more detail:
Total parcels (April 1st to Sept 30th 2018)
4,976
Total parcels (April 1st to Sept 30th 2024)
10,404
(Difference: 5,428)
**
Parcels given to adults (April 1st to Sept 30th 2018)
3,063
Parcels given to adults (April 1st to Sept 30th 2024)
7,060
(Difference: 3,997)
**
Parcels given to children (April 1st to Sept 30th 2018)
1,913
Parcels given to children (April 1st to Sept 30th 2024)
3,344
(Difference: 1,431)
**
Total number of foodbanks (2018)
7
Total number of foodbanks (2024)
5
(Difference: -2)
What's the Government said on this?
In their 2024 election-winning manifesto, The Labour Party said:
"Labour is committed to reviewing Universal Credit so that it makes work pay and tackles poverty. We want to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels, which is a moral scar on our society."