By Rory Weal – Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager The Chancellor yesterday asserted that his budget would be all about taking the “long-term” decisions. However, what we saw was long-term decisions for some – namely tax cuts benefiting middle and higher earners – but only short-term sticking plasters for those on the lowest incomes, the people most in need of support. The background to the budget has seen unprecedented numbers of people unable to afford essentials such as food, heating and clothing, and being forced to turn to food banks. That’s why it was so important that the Chancello ..read more

Credit: Jess Hurd Today, we (along with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation) handed in our petition to the leaders of UK political parties in Westminster, urging them to support the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee. This would enshrine in law the principle that Universal Credit always, at a minimum, provides enough to cover the cost of the essentials such as food, utilities and vital household goods. More than 150,000 people stood together and signed the petition, and the Essentials Guarantee has also received overwhelming support from across the charity and business sectors, as well as a hu ..read more

The Trussell Trust has today published new research that reveals the devastating consequences of the inadequacy of Universal Credit across the UK. The anti-poverty charity is urging the Chancellor to take urgent action to increase long-term support for people struggling to get by on Universal Credit and commit to extending the Household Support Fund as soon as possible. The research, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Trussell Trust, revealed that 780,000 people (12%) claiming Universal Credit have been forced to use a food bank in the last month (Dec 23/Jan 24), and more than half (55%) ran ..read more

The Trussell Trust has partnered with BanktheFood, a small charity helping food banks get essential supplies, to ensure that our food banks get the items they need the most so they can continue supporting people facing hardship in their local communities. The partnership will make it easier for people across the UK to find out the best items to donate to their local food bank. Across the UK, food banks are at breaking point. The soaring cost of living is leaving people with no option but to turn to their local food bank – and the amount of help needed is outstripping donations. BanktheFood’s f ..read more

By Helen Barnard – Director of Policy, Research and Impact From this week, many people receiving social security benefits such as Universal Credit will receive a one-off cost of living payment from the government. This will provide welcome relief, but only for a short period. People are forced to turn to food banks because their incomes are just too low to cover the essentials we all need to survive. Nearly six in 10 people on Universal Credit can’t afford to eat properly, most are having to go without other essentials, and many are also behind with bills and seeing debt pile up with no way to ..read more

Left to right: Event sponsor and Conservative MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire, Rt Hon Stephen Crabb MP, lived experience speaker, Val McKie, and Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall MP. (Copyright Georgie Scott/Trussell Trust) By Beatrice Orchard – Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager Yesterday, we hosted an event in the House of Commons to talk about what is pushing people to food banks, and about the building blocks that are needed to end hunger for good.  The event brought MPs together with staff and volunteers from our food banks, people with their own experiences of pover ..read more

Dozens of celebrities and faith leaders, including Ed Sheeran, Jodie Whittaker and Liam Gallagher, have signed an open letter demanding politicians address the growing levels of poverty in the UK. The letter was co-written by the Trussell Trust and Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and calls for political leaders to commit to an ‘Essentials Guarantee’ in their 2024 election manifestos, to ensure the basic rate of Universal Credit covers the cost of life’s essentials. Other celebrity signatories include Stephen Fry, Dame Emma Thompson, Nish Kumar and Liam Payne, with faith leaders including Bishop Mi ..read more

We want to say a huge thank you for your support in 2023. Our Chief Executive, Emma Revie, reflects on what was an incredibly difficult year for our food banks and how important your support has been:  We’re working towards a future where everyone has enough money for the essentials and no one needs to use a food bank – find out more about the Essentials Guarantee The post Thank you for standing with us appeared first on The Trussell Trust ..read more

By Rory Weal – Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager Chancellor’s decision to uprate benefits and housing costs will ease some of the pressures driving people to food banks – but long-term action is needed. Before the chancellor stood up yesterday to deliver his Autumn Statement, there had been much speculation that another disastrous squeeze on the real value of benefits was on the table. But after campaigning from a wide range of charities, including the Trussell Trust, the chancellor chose to uprate benefits by inflation, as well as significantly increase Local Housing Allowance which ma ..read more

New figures released today by the Trussell Trust reveal that 1.5 million emergency food parcels were provided to people between April and September 2023 by food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network. This is the most parcels that the network has ever distributed at this point in the year and represents a 16% increase from the same period in 2022. Low incomes, especially from social security, debt, health conditions and issues with social security payments such as delays or sanctions were the main reasons people were left with no option but to turn to a food bank for help. A record 540,000 foo ..read more