The chair of a Bulwell food bank says that a teacher recently used the service after having not eaten anything for three days. There have been warnings for months that the rising cost of household bills, particularly energy, will force more and more people to use food banks.
Many Nottinghamshire councils have even said that they are now making progress on developing 'heat banks', where public buildings are opened up in the day for people to get warm. Following the recent announcement by Prime Minister Liz Truss of an energy bill freeze for two years, people attending a community café in Bulwell feared that it wouldn't help them through this winter.
The service is run at the Crabtree Farm Community Centre, where a food bank is also situated. Maria Shakespeare MBE, the chair of the Crabtree Farm Community Centre, also expressed her view that the energy bill freeze would not be enough.
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She said: "A lady who works at a school came to the food bank. She hadn't eaten in three days. I said 'why didn't you come sooner?' It's because she was embarrassed.
"It's definitely not just low-income families or single parents coming into the food bank now, it's people who are often in full-time work but struggling with the bills." Maria said that this year, the food bank will need "a bit of everything" and that the community centre has had funding from Nottingham City Homes for seeds so that people can grow their own vegetables.
Fire chiefs around the country have also said that firefighters are increasingly having to use food banks. The national Fire Brigades' Union has said on the matter: "Firefighters urgently need the government and fire employers to get their act together and put forward a decent pay offer. Our members can't wait."
Responding to the announcement of the energy bill freeze, Maria Shakespeare added: "People are already in debt, this should have been lowered, it's still a big increase for those on low incomes. Universal Credit hasn't gone up, prices haven't gone down. There are other things that need capping too."
But announcing her energy bill freeze in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Liz Truss said that long-term solutions to the energy crisis were also important. Ms Truss said: "I know businesses and families are very concerned about how they will get through this winter.
"That's why I felt it was important to act urgently to provide immediate help and support, as well as setting out our plan about how we are going to secure the UK's future supplies. This is part of my vision for rebuilding our economy.
"Secure energy supply is vital to growth and prosperity. Yet it has been ignored for too long. I will end the UK's short-termist approach to energy security and supply once and for all."
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