Food Banks Warn Rising Demand Will Prevent Feeding The Hungriest This Winter Uk Cost Of Living Crisis

Organizations representing 169 food banks told the Guardian that the number of people seeking emergency help had already risen “dramatically” and predicted “bleak and worrying” weeks ahead. Of the 169 providers, nearly 70% said they may have to turn people away or reduce the size of emergency rations this winter. Almost three-quarters said food donation levels had fallen since April, despite growing demand. The warning came amid alarming new forecasts of spiraling inflation, with pressure mounting on Liz Truss, Boris Johnson’s likely successor as prime minister, to give some indication of how she plans to tackle the cost of living emergency. US investment bank Goldman Sachs also warned on Tuesday that UK inflation could hit 22% next year, close to the post-war record set in 1975, if wholesale energy prices remain at their current high levels, putting further pressure on in households and businesses. . In a glimmer of hope, UK gas prices fell more than 20% on Tuesday amid reports that efforts to fill European gas storage ahead of winter appear to be ahead of schedule. But while prices have come down from near-record highs, they are still 12 times higher than before the energy crisis began, and neither Truss nor her leading rival, Rishi Sunak, have set out how they plan to ease the crisis for millions of people this fall. and winter. Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “When even food banks are warning they may have to close shops this winter because they can’t keep up with demand, we know the country is heading for disaster without action. “Families and pensioners are beyond desperate for real help now. Labor would freeze energy bills, but instead we have Boris Johnson on a vanity tour, the chancellor on a merry-go-round in New York and Liz Truss hiding from scrutiny because she has no answer to this crisis.” In the Independent Food Aid Network UK (Ifan UK) survey, almost 90% of organizations representing 169 food banks reported that demand had increased since April and 87% said they had been hit by supply problems. One in five had already reduced the size of their food parcels and more than half of charities were already having to dip into their limited cash reserves to run out of food parcels. Kirkcaldy Foodbank in Scotland said it had a £56,000 deficit in the first half of 2022 due to rising food prices and falling donations as those who normally give to food banks cut back themselves. He said: “This situation is completely unsustainable and we have started to take steps to limit the support we can provide. “We have real fears about what lies ahead – both for the people who need our help and for our ability to meet those increased needs.” Su Parrish, of the charity Easter Team in Crawley, said she feared they would see “poor mental health increase and possibly suicides as a result of the stress and anxiety people are now experiencing”. The poll was carried out before the regulator Ofgem announced that the peak energy price would rise by 80% from October. The decision will increase the average gas and electricity bill from £1,971 to £3,549 a year and could push millions of homes into fuel poverty. Simon Lellow, operations director of Telford Crisis Support, said the cost of living crisis was a “clear and present risk” for many people in the Shropshire town. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. He said: “The effects are already deepening existing issues around poverty and the need for food banks and other charitable welfare support services. “With the latest increases in energy prices, the pace of inflation and the lack of countermeasures, the outlook for the final quarter of the year is bleak and worrying.” Ifan UK, which supports more than 550 food banks across the country, urged the government to introduce “urgent, cash-first interventions” to ensure people can afford to put food on the table and heat homes them this winter. Truss has pledged to deliver £30 billion in tax cuts if she replaces Johnson as prime minister in a vote by Tory MPs next week. He is also said to be considering raising the personal allowance, the level at which people start paying tax, and exploring VAT cuts of up to 5 percentage points. Truss has previously ruled out handouts and her allies have said any support package is unlikely to include lump sum payments – raising concerns that her measures will not help those who need it most. Sonya Antoniou-Pamment, of Lancaster-based charity Olive Branch Aid, said: “Like many organisations, we know that the coming months as winter begins to bite will be the hardest yet for many. We also know that our volunteers will struggle as we will only have the resources to be able to help a fraction of the people we expect to see in difficulty this winter.” Sabine Goodwin, co-ordinator of Ifan UK, said relying on overburdened food banks was “unconscionable and unsustainable”. He said: “It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the basic needs of its citizens are met, not food aid charities buckling under the pressure.”

title: “Food Banks Warn Rising Demand Will Prevent Feeding The Hungriest This Winter Uk Cost Of Living Crisis Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-10” author: “Emma Harris”

title: “Food Banks Warn Rising Demand Will Prevent Feeding The Hungriest This Winter Uk Cost Of Living Crisis Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-04” author: “Jeffrey Mapp”

title: “Food Banks Warn Rising Demand Will Prevent Feeding The Hungriest This Winter Uk Cost Of Living Crisis Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-12” author: “Richard Pepper”