There is no “massive use for food banks” in the UK, according to Lee Anderson, the Conservative MP for Ashfield. However, figures and evidence from food bank organisations, charities and researchers show that this is simply not the case.
I have been researching the development of the food bank sector for the last ten years and my evidence, plus evidence from many others, shows that the number of food banks has risen drastically since 2008, and with it, the number of people using them. In Wales alone, the number of food banks increased from just 16 in the years 1998-2010, to 157 by July 2015. Now, estimates from food bank operators and charities show at least 3,000 food banks in the UK.
