More than 37,000 emergency food parcels were given to households across Nottinghamshire struggling to feed themselves, foodbank figures for the last year have shown. Thousands of meals went to children - and officials from a leading foodbank charity have called on the Government to do more to help.
Executives of the Trussell Trust also said parents were skipping meals so their children can eat. And families are switching off appliances so they can afford internet access so kids can do their homework, officials said.
Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “How can this be right in a society like ours? And yet food banks in our network tell us this is only set to get worse as their communities are pushed deeper into financial hardship. No one’s income should fall so dangerously low that they cannot afford to stay fed, warm and dry."
Read more: Warning in Nottingham suburb that 'everyone is struggling' as cost of living increases
The Trussell Trust gave out more than two million food parcels via its foodbank network across the UK in the year to March. Its network of foodbanks across Nottinghamshire gave out 37,206 emergency food parcels in 2021-22, of which 14,074 were provided for children.
That was down from a total of 43,448 the previous year during the height of the pandemic but was still above the 35,524 recorded in 2019-20 and 21,262 five years earlier. Despite the overall drop, the number distributed in Mansfield rose by 62 percent from 2,602 in 2020-21 to 4,212 last year – one of the sharpest increases proportionally in the UK.
The figure also rose by nine percent in Newark and Sherwood, from 2,689 to 2,935. Of the local areas with available data, Nottingham saw the most parcels handed out, at 15,819, which was also up six percent from 14,922 the previous year.
However, the Trussell Trust said various factors could influence the number of parcels recorded within an area, including the prevalence of other foodbanks and the number of open distribution centres. Parcels can provide three days or, since early 2020, a week’s worth of supplies, and the Trussell Trust said its figures did not reflect the true scale of the problem as they didn’t account for the hundreds of other foodbanks outside its own network.
The group said it expected the need for emergency food to rise further as the cost of living crisis deepens. Ms Revie called on the Government to do more to help.
“We are calling on the UK Government to bring benefits in line with the true cost of living. As an urgent first step, benefits should be increased by at least seven percent, keeping pace with increases in the cost of living," she said.
“In the longer term, we need the Government to introduce a commitment in the benefits system to ensure that everyone has enough money in their pockets to be prevented from falling into destitution. By failing to make benefits payments realistic for the times we face, the Government now risks turning the cost of living crisis into a national emergency.”
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said the Government recognised the cost of living pressures faced by families, and said it was spending £22 billion across the next financial year to support people with energy bills and cut fuel duty. He added: “For the hardest hit, we’re putting an average of £1,000 more per year into the pockets of working families on Universal Credit, have also boosted the minimum wage by more than £1,000 a year for full-time workers and our Household Support Fund is there to help with the cost of everyday essentials.”
Meanwhile, one man from Nottinghamshire spoke about the difficulties he’s faced with the cost of living crisis. And he fears if the worst comes to worst he may have to start using foodbanks again.
Ian Wynter-Merrin, a 49-year-old handyman who lives in the borough of Broxtowe, lost his job in construction and was made redundant during the pandemic. He subsequently turned to the foodbank of the Crabtree Farm Community Centre in Bulwell.
Mr Wynter-Merrin explained he wasn't surprised more people were using foodbanks. "If I’m desperate, I will apply to use a foodbank. Wages haven’t gone up but everything else is, it’s like quicksand," he said. I’m worried for everyone. You can't trust the Government, they don't know what it's like for normal people."
Speaking about the impact of the cost of living crisis, Mr Wynter-Merrin, who helps Crabtree Farm with deliveries and cares for his brother has recently secured a job, said: "A lot of people who have a car would say that’s a luxury but, when you’re looking after someone who has a disability, it’s a necessity and petrol and fuel are rising.
"When you’re on a low income and go shopping, you’re spending the extra money that sometimes you don’t have because everything's gone up.” MBE and chair of the community centre in Bulwell, Maria Shakespeare, has noticed a rise in people using the foodbank. She can see people continuing to struggle if bills do rise again this October.
She said: “Recently, we’ve been getting calls and referrals from Welfare Rights. The majority [of these calls and referrals] are from people who are employed but are struggling due to the rise in electricity and gas bills.
“People aren’t aware that they can use foodbanks, no-one tells them what they’re entitled to. I think that, by October, it will be worse because if everyone’s struggling now, what will it be like by then? Things are going up on a daily basis sometimes, you don’t even know where you stand when you go shopping.”
Nottingham City Council have secured more than £3.5 million for households who are struggling with the increase in the cost of living. The authority will distribute more household support vouchers.
The city council’s portfolio holder for finance and resources, Councillor Sam Webster, said: “We’re all facing around a £700-a-year rise in energy costs, with other bills going up such as national insurance, water and food shopping, plus fuel and car tax also rising for those with vehicles. This is at the same time as general inflation is reaching a record high. We’re all going to feel the impact of increased costs, but some households in the city are going to be particularly badly affected.
“Nobody in Nottingham should have to choose between heating and eating. We need sustainable solutions which give people opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty and keep pace with the rising cost of living.
“To make sure you're in the best possible position to cope, our friendly Welfare Rights team can support you with issues like debt, eviction, and help you to make sure you’re getting all the benefits you’re entitled to. They can give advice and help you to come up with a plan.”
