Salisbury charity critical of Budget that 'lacks support for worst off'
The Chancellor has extended the Household Support Fund
A Salisbury-based charity has criticised the government's Spring Budget, saying it's support for low income families doesn't go far enough.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced on Wednesday (6th March) that the Household Support Fund will be extended for another six months.
And while anti-poverty charity, The Trussell Trust, have welcomed that extension, they say it's also simply not enough.
Their Director of Policy, Research & Impact, Helen Barnard, tweeted that the budget provided "short-term, sticking plasters, no long-term solutions".
Polly Jones from the Trust told us: "We're delighted that Jeremy Hunt mentioned the support.
"We'd lobbied him to be able to protect this in the budget, but it just doesn't go far enough. We've got a six month extension, we need a multi year settlement."
And while Polly admitted expectations of a major boost weren't high, she said it is still a blow.
"One in seven people across the UK can't afford to buy food and other essentials, they are worrying about how they're going to feed their families this evening, have maybe cut back on meals today because they haven't got enough money to afford that."
The Trust know most people visit food banks because their income from Universal Credit doesn't cover the essentials.
"It is just woefully short at the moment and doesn't have any relationship between what things actually cost," Polly said.
But she added that it's not food people need necessarily - it's money.
"What people need is something that charities cannot deliver. It has to go back-to-back to the role of our governments in in providing that sort of Social Security and decent jobs," said Polly.
"We want to see a whole different society where you don't have food banks in every community."
Polly's message to those who are feeling the squeeze created by the cost-of-living crisis is that they aren't alone and encouraged people to visit a local foodbank for support.