Nottinghamshire Live readers have reacted to Conservative MP for Ashfield Lee Anderson saying in the House of Commons that food bank use is being fuelled by a lack of budgeting and cooking skills. He claimed people could "cook meals from scratch" for "30p a day" instead during a debate on the Queen's Speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday (May 11).
Labour MP Alex Cunningham replied by saying: "Should it be necessary to have food banks in 21st Century Britain?" The comments sparked outrage, but Mr Anderson defended what he said, inviting "everybody" on the opposition benches to visit a food bank in his constituency where, when people come for a food parcel, they now need to register for a "budgeting course" and a "cooking course".
Fellow Conservative MP for Mansfield Ben Bradley, who is also the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, defended Mr Anderson too, saying there is a problem with 'basic education' and numeracy skills in areas such as his. And the comments were met with mixed reaction on the Nottinghamshire Live Facebook page.
