More Mancunians than ever are receiving food parcels from Trussell Trust foodbanks, the charity says

The Trussell Trust says its foodbanks in Manchester are handing out more emergency food parcels to residents struggling on the breadline than ever before.

The charity’s figures show that more than 30,000 parcels were given out in the city in the year up to March 2023, a significant rise on the 2021-22 figure. The Trussell Trust says this is the highest level of demand it has seen and is definitely above the last few years for which data has been released.

The charity says the figures are “extremely concerning” and suggested that Universal Credit payments are not keeping up with the rising costs of basic essentials due to the cost of living crisis.

The Government says it is making changes to the benefits system to help those who are financially struggling.

What does the data show for Manchester?

The Trussell Trust’s figures show that in the year ending March 2023 the charity handed out 31,311 emergency food parcels in Manchester’s 19 distribution centres.

This is a major increase on the 19,998 handed out in 2021-22 and the highest figure recorded in the area by the charity. It is bigger than any level of demand seen in the last five years (going back to 2017-18) for which the charity releases its data.

Last year 12,673 of these parcels – 40% – were given to children. In 2021-22 this figure was 8,050 (40%).

Across the UK, a total of 2,986,203 emergency food parcels were given out between April 2022 and March this year – up 37% on the year before. Across the North West, 347,976 parcels were handed out in the year to March – up 37% from 253,084 the year before.

These figures cover parcels handed out by the Trussell Trust itself, but do not include emergency food supplies provided by other charities and organisations.

What has been said about the foodbank use figures?

The Trussell Trust says the rise in the use of food banks in Manchester is a product of problems with the UK’s welfare system, not just the pandemic and cost of living crisis. Emma Revie, chief executive at the charity, called the statistics “extremely concerning”.

She said: “The continued increase in parcel numbers over the last five years indicates that it is ongoing low levels of income and a social security system that isn’t fit for purpose that are forcing more people to need food banks, rather than just the recent cost of living crisis or the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“Food banks were set up to provide short-term support to people in an emergency, they are not a lasting solution to hunger and poverty, and more than three quarters of the UK population agree with us that they should not need to exist,” she added.

Along with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, an anti-poverty charity, the Trussell Trust is urging the Government to adopt an ‘essentials guarantee’, ensuring Universal Credit payments always cover the cost of basic essentials.

Research by the two charities suggests the current £85 Universal Credit standard allowance is £35 short of this target.

“For too long people have been going without because social security payments do not reflect life’s essential costs and people are being pushed deeper into hardship as a result,” Ms Revie added.

What has the Government said?

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We are committed to eradicating poverty and we recognise the pressures of the rising cost of living, which is why we have uprated benefits by 10.1% as well as making an unprecedented increase to the National Living Wage this month.

“This is on top of changes already made to Universal Credit which mean claimants can keep more of their hard-earned money – a boost worth £1,000 a year on average.”

“We are also providing record levels of direct financial support for the most vulnerable,” they added.