Grinning Tory MPs and Food Banks

Check out this article in "NewStateman" on "When Tory MPs  visit foodbanks - Armed with tins of beans and bags of sugar, elected representatives of this government have been posing alongside the damage they’ve done."

I do not for minute pretend that I am in any way neutral about the modern day Conservative Party but I am genuinely flabbergasted at their F...ing cheek.

In the article "Neil Coyle, the Labour MP for Bermondsey & Old Southwark who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Foodbanks....

“Far and away, the biggest issue affecting foodbank use is Universal Credit,” he says.
On average, foodbanks in areas where Universal Credit has been in place for a year see a 52 per cent increase in demand, and foodbank use is up 13 per cent in areas where the new system has been rolled out for three months or less, according to the biggest foodbank charity the Trussell Trust.

“Turning up and grinning is simply, well, it’s insulting,” Coyle tells me. “Turning up and being practically supportive is what foodbanks need – and trying to work out how to reduce pressure on foodbanks would be the sensible thing to do.”

The biggest single reason for a food bank referral, accounting for 31 per cent in the six months leading up to November this year, was benefits not covering living costs. More than a fifth of referrals to its foodbank network resulted from delayed benefit payments – a third of which were waiting specifically for their first Universal Credit payment.

“If you’re going to engage with foodbanks in the run-up to Christmas, learn who it is they’re supporting and why,” says Coyle, who also refers to children in families that cannot claim benefits (immigration policy means “no recourse to public funds” for about 50,000 people with dependents) using foodbanks on an “almost routine” basis. “This is a direct result of government policy.”

Hat tip Anoosh Chakelian

West Ham & Stratford Campaigning (and one reason why this General Election is so important)

Pictures of some of the West Ham Labour Party activists out campaigning with our Parliamentary Candidate, Lyn Brown and Stratford & New Town ward Candidate, Charlene McLean.

Yesterday evening in Stratford, Green Street this morning and this afternoon in Ilford North.

Check out below one of the reasons why I think this this election is so important. Remember that the Trussell Trust are not the only organisation handing our emergency food to hungry families.

"People reliant on food banks reaches one million

Figures from the Trussell Trust indicate the number of people relying on food banks will pass the one million mark this week. The number of people given three days' emergency food by the Trust rose from 2,814 in the 2005-06 financial year to 61,468 in 2010-11, 346,992 in 2012-13 before jumping to 913,138 in 2013-14 - including 582,933 adults and 330,205 children. Figures for 2014-15 are expected to show a continuing rise despite the upturn in the economy. 

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Rachel Reeves described the 618% rise in the number receiving emergency food aid as “shocking” and called on David Cameron to sign up to a pledge to reduce the number relying on food banks. Meanwhile, the Yorkshire Post reports that one in five rural households is now officially classed as living in poverty...."

The Independent, Page: 1, 4   Independent i, Page: 4   Yorkshire Post, Page: 1

(Tomorrow - Sunday 19 April we are going to Ilford North for 2pm. Give me a ring if anyone wants a lift)

When Christmas is a choice between eating and heating

We have had soup kitchens and shelters for the homeless for decades. But I despair that we live in a society that hundreds of thousands of UK children are dependent on personal charity to stop being hungry.

The cuts are getting worse, the safety net is being sold off and dismantled. Where is this going and where will it all end up? We are already suffering the biggest pay cuts since Victorian times.

· Statistics from The Trussell Trust show that there has been a dramatic increase in demand for food banks and charitable help in the UK, with more than 20m meals provided in 2013 – a 54% increase on the previous year.

913,138 people were given three days emergency food and support in 2013-2014, of whom 330,205 were children.

· 423 food banks have now been launched, with two new food banks being launched every week to support growing demand.

(hat tip recent email encouraging donations)