South Shields foodbank hopes the budget will help provide additional funding

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be announcing the autumn budget later

Author: Sophie GreenPublished 30th Oct 2024

A South Shields foodbank tells us what they are hoping for in the autumn budget.

The first female chancellor in Britain's history, Rachel Reeves, will be delivering Labour's first budget in 14 years later today.

Marie Burnett is the poverty prevention team leader at the key community foodbank and says that having extra funding will make a massive difference.

She said: "Things like increased funding for food security programmes or additional funding into food banks, like pantry type services that will enable us to expand and provide more help and support to those who desperately need it.

Marie continued to say: "Looking at benefits and things for low-income families, so either an increase under their benefits or some new support measures that could be put into place. Things like household support fund, is that going to be continued, because that has been a massive support that we've been able to share with people.

“Educational programmes looking at nutrition and cooking, we get a lot of people who attend the food bank who are unable to cook meals as they've never been shown how to cook, so it's important that we can help to do that as well.

“Our food bank is very busy. We support a number of families every week across South Tyneside. Being able to have extra funding to support them will make a massive difference."

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