Food bank stock cannot match demand, trust says

Phil Jarman is manager at the Trussell Trust's Bridgwater site

A Somerset food bank manager has said stocks are not keeping up with demand due to the country's financial situation.

Almost 255,000 parcels have been distributed by the Trussell Trust in the South West in the past year, more than ever before.

This represents a 90% increase compared to figures from five years earlier.

The Department for Work and Pensions told the BBC it was supporting working families by raising the National Living Wage.

Phil Jarman, manager at the Trussell Trust's Bridgwater site, told the BBC: "Our stock is not keeping up with the amount of clients that we've got coming in.

"Because of the current financial situation in the country, donations are beginning to drop."

Almost 255,000 parcels have been distributed by the Trussell Trust in the South West in the past year

The trust said that of the 255,000 parcels distributed in the South West, 92,300 were provided to children, and nearly 55,400 people needed to use a food bank in the Trussell Trust network in the South West for the first time in 2023.

The charity said it has also seen a significant rise in the number of pension-age households needing help.

A total of 12,300 parcels were provided to pension-age households in the South West in the past year, a 12% increase compared to the year before and a 340% increase compared to five years ago.

'Salaries not competing'

"I just never seem to have enough after I've paid my bills, my electric's gone up, everything's gone up," said Casey, who has been using a food bank in Bridgwater for about four years.

Mr Jarman said many of the people coming to the Bridgwater food bank were in work.

"Their salaries are not competing with the increase in rents, the increase in mortgages, the increase in fuel," he said.

"All of those sorts of things have a knock-on effect."

The trust gives out food parcels across the South West all year round

The Trussell Trust is calling for an urgent reform of the social security system to ensure people on Universal Credit have an "essentials guarantee" so they have a protected minimum amount of support to be able to afford the essentials.

Sarah Rouse, Trussell Trust's area manager for Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset, said: "There are many reasons why somebody might need to use a food bank.

"Ultimately it comes down to people not having enough money in their pockets to afford the essentials."

A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “Absolute child poverty is down since 2010 and our £108bn cost of living package also prevented 1.3 million people, including 300,000 children, falling into absolute poverty in 2022-2023.

"While also raising benefits again this year, we are supporting hard-working families become more financially secure by raising the National Living Wage, cutting taxes and driving down inflation while our £2.5bn Back to Work Plan will help more people reap the benefits of being in work."