Britain's hunger crisis: One MILLION food parcels handed out despite UK having sixth richest economy

Shock report reveals 330,000 food parcels handed out went to hungry children in this country yet we have more millionaires than ever

 

Disgrace: Children are starving (file photo)

Campaigners last night demanded David Cameron scrap his savage welfare reforms after the number of emergency food parcels handed out soared to more than a million.

Furious anti-poverty groups and church leaders said it was beyond belief that people in 21st century Britain are going hungry and relying on charity.

The number of food parcels given out last year by the Trussell Trust alone nearly tripled from 346,992 to 913,138. And 330,205 of those went to children.

Another 182,000 are being donated each year by just 45 independent food banks, according to a recent survey.

Campaigners say the shocking ­statistics shatter the PM’s twisted boast that his welfare reforms are a “moral mission” giving hope to the poor.

Benefits cuts and delays, the rising cost of living and pay freezes are forcing more and more people into food banks, experts have long warned. One, on Merseyside, is handing out rations at the alarming rate of one every nine minutes.

 

Volunteer Lesley Payne stacking tins at the Coastland Family Church foodbank in Barry

Legal experts even claim Mr Cameron is breaching human rights laws by allowing people to go hungry.
And Trussell Trust chief Chris Mould said the growing queues at food banks is proof the economic recovery Chancellor George Osborne brags of is still not affecting those on the breadline.

He added: “It’s close to triple the numbers helped last year, shocking in 21st century Britain. But perhaps most worrying of all is this figure is just the tip of the iceberg of UK food poverty.

“It doesn’t include those helped by other emergency food providers, those in towns where there is no food bank, people too ashamed to seek help or the large number who are only just coping by eating less and buying cheap food.

“In the last year we’ve seen things get worse, rather than better, for many people on low incomes. It’s been extremely tough for a lot of people, with parents not eating properly in order to feed their children and more people than ever experiencing unfair and harsh benefits sanctions.

“Unless there is determined policy action to ensure the benefits of national economic recovery reach people on low incomes we won’t see life get better for the poorest anytime soon.”

More than four out of five food banks insist the rising queues are down to harsh, ideologically-driven welfare cuts.

Mr Mould added: “A more thoughtful approach to the benefits regime and sanctions in particular, increasing the minimum wage, introducing the living wage and looking at other measures such as social tariffs for energy would help to address the problem of UK hunger.”

The true total of emergency handouts could be much higher because the ­Trussell Trust runs less than half of the 1,000-plus food banks in the UK.

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