Portsmouth Foodbank issues warning over plans to cut disability benefits
Portsmouth Foodbank urges the public to oppose disability payment cuts, warning more disabled people could face hunger.
The warning comes as reports suggest that Labour ministers are considering £6bn in cuts to personal independence payments (PIP), a type of disability benefit.
A food bank manager in Portsmouth has raised concerns that if the cuts go ahead, even more people in the city will be unable to afford basic necessities. The food bank is already facing exceptionally high demand.
Jimmy, Project Lead at Hope Portsmouth, and Leanne, Manager at Portsmouth Foodbank, which is part of Trussell’s network of food banks, said: “We are extremely concerned about the devastating impact these cuts could have for disabled people living here. People we support are already telling us they are ‘terrified’ of how they might survive any cuts.
“These cuts put sick parents at risk of skipping meals so their children can eat, and people becoming even more unwell and less able to recover.
“Portsmouth Foodbank is experiencing exceptionally high levels of need, and we don’t know how people will cope when they are already struggling to feed themselves. Last year, we provided 9,974 emergency food parcels to local individuals and families facing hunger and hardship in Portsmouth – supporting around 22,000 people.”
Councillor Steve Pitt, leader of Portsmouth City Council, also spoke out against the potential changes, particularly to PIP, which helps disabled people manage daily life and access work.
“There are a lot of unknowns, but at the moment, it looks like changes to PIP are of huge concern because it’s also an enabling benefit, to help people get into work, so how does it make any sense to freeze that?
“Reducing people’s benefits without first saying how they expect that to directly benefit the people who are currently receiving that support seems bizarre.”
Hope Hub, home to Portsmouth Foodbank, is part of Trussell’s network of food banks, which provided over three million emergency food parcels across the UK last year.
Recent research by YouGov found that 77 per cent of people receiving Universal Credit and disability payments have gone without essentials in the last six months.