Foodbank in the East says rising debts are pushing more into poverty
The Trussell Trust has warned that a further 425,000 people, including 170,000 children, are projected to face hunger and hardship by 2026/27
The head of a foodbank in the East is telling us that rising personal debts - driven by the surging prices of essentials - are pushing more people into poverty.
A record 9.3 million people, including one in five children, are facing hunger and hardship across the UK, according to Trussell, which has multiple foodbanks across Suffolk.
"Charities have increasingly been picking up the slack"
Helen Gilbert is project manager at the charity in King's Lynn: "The social security system needs to be overhauled, so that those who are really in need can get that support.
"That's what the benefit system was set-up for in the first place, but charities have increasingly been picking up the slack.
"Sure Start centres were excellent ideas, but they've all been closed down now. There needs to be investment into children's social services and health-visiting, so there are enough people to support these families and ensure that children are getting their nutrition."
She told us how this can negatively impact a child's start to life: "If families are struggling then their children are not going to get all the opportunities that others get, such as nutrition, which is vital to ensure that children are healthy when growing up."
The data in more detail:
The Trussell Trust has warned that, without change from the Government, a further 425,000 people, including 170,000 children, are projected to face hunger and hardship by 2026/27.
The charity said its analysis showed that more than half (53%) of people facing hunger and hardship live in a disabled family, almost one in three (32%) people in single-parent families face hunger and hardship and that babies and those aged up to four years old face the highest risk of being in this situation of any age group (24%).
The organisation said their data suggests work is not a guaranteed route out of hardship, as almost six in 10 (58%) people facing hunger and hardship live in a family where someone is working.
While 11% of people in white families face hunger and hardship, the proportion rises to more than a quarter (28%) for people living in black, African, Caribbean and black British families, Trussell said.
The charity said the analysis suggested that an Essentials Guarantee ensuring Universal Credit always covers the basic necessities - a promise it has long called for - would have the biggest impact on lifting people out of hardship.
It estimated this would mean 1.9 million fewer people would be at risk of hunger and hardship in the year to March 2026, including 580,000 children and 1.2 million people living in families where at least one person is disabled.
Other changes scrapping the controversial two-child limit and the benefit cap could see 825,000 fewer people facing hunger and hardship by that time, including 570,000 fewer children.
Last week, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimated that ditching both policies would come at a cost to Government of £3.3 billion a year.
"We urge the UK government to play its part in ending hunger"
Ms Barnard said the Government "must make our social security system fit for purpose as an urgent priority".
She added: "These findings show this is the most direct way it will end the need for emergency food.
"We urge the UK government to play its part in ending hunger and prioritise providing immediate relief to people facing hunger and hardship in its upcoming Budget, to avoid people being pushed further into hardship."
The research, carried out for Trussell by economic and public policy experts WPI Economics analysed income survey data and defined hunger and hardship as being more than 25% below the poverty line determined by the Social Metric Commission - an independent body that aims to help policymakers understand and take action to tackle poverty.
What's the Government said on this?
A Government spokesperson said: "No child should be in poverty. This Government is taking action through our new Child Poverty Taskforce, which is developing an ambitious strategy to give children the best start in life - through work, housing, education, heath, childcare and the social security system.
"Alongside this, we have extended the Household Support Fund to support the most vulnerable this winter and have committed to reviewing universal credit while we deliver on our plan to tackle inequality and make work pay to deliver opportunity across Britain."