Research reveals universities in the South West are opening food banks for students
More than a quarter of universities in the UK now have food banks
Last updated 14th Sep 2023
A call for urgent action to support students is being made by researchers who've revealed more than a quarter of UK universities have a food bank service.
The South West has been highlighted as an area with particularly high numbers of University food support services, alongside Wales and the North East.
The research was compiled by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI).
They found just over half offered discounts on food, while 27% were operating a food bank and 11% were giving out vouchers.
A third of Russell Group universities - some of the most prestigious UK institutions - were found to be operating a food bank, compared with 26% of other universities.
Paul Woodward manages Somer Valley foodbanks in North Somerset.
He isn't surprised universities in the region have had to offer this kind of support.
"I've definitely noticed that there's been more young people coming to the food bank," Paul said.
"Last year 32.6% of our clients were young, single people, and this year, since the 2nd of April, it's been 40.3%. So it's definitely been an increase."
In the last year, Paul has seen an increase of 800 people using his network of foodbanks - a crisis that has extended to young students.
"Having to get a bigger loan is clearly a worry for students, so it's not really a surprise because the cost of living is affecting everybody, whether you're a student or not."
HEPI has called on all universities to establish similar working groups, launch emergency funds and include students throughout their cost-of-living response, while it said student unions can encourage their university to act by mounting cost-of-living campaigns “founded on strong evidence and excellent relationships with university staff”.
It said the Government should establish a cost-of-living taskforce which consults regularly with students and sector leaders, and called on Westminster and devolved governments to routinely increase the student maintenance loan in line with inflation.
Paul has seen first hand how funding can help those who are struggling.
"People were given extra money from our local authority for children who had free school meals and we didn't see as many families as we normally would over the summer holidays.
"Which proves that if you give an uplift in the money people get, they use it on the right things - we found the same when the Universal credit was uplifted.
"If students were given enough to live on, they wouldn't need foodbanks - because they don't waste it."
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “Many of our universities are doing a brilliant job to support students who are struggling financially through a variety of programmes, and we urge students who are worried about their circumstances to speak to their university.
“We are supporting universities to help students who are struggling financially by making £276 million available this academic year, which institutions can use to top up their own hardship schemes. This is on top of increases to student loans and grants.”