‘No wonder people are having to make hard decisions’

IT is a sad sign of the times that we hear more about food banks than used to be the case. But in a supposedly wealthy 21st century society, why should this be so? One reason is that benefit levels have declined in real terms. Take Universal Credit, which for a single male aged 25 plus works out at a little over £77 a week. In other words compared to its predecessor Job Seekers’ Allowance it has risen by less than 10% over the past eight years.

Other allowances have also gone up this year by less than half the inflation rate, including the basic State Pension.

However, with fuel bills rocketing and transport costs rising sharply, it is no wonder that people are having to make hard decisions as to what to spend their money on. And it is all very well for highly-paid MPs to tell individuals to use own brands, but it is worth noting that more and more items in local pound shops are for sale above £1.

In order to deal with extra Covid costs, Universal Credit had been given a temporary boost of £20 a week. Yet this has been withdrawn at a time when experts are forecasting that inflation will reach double figures for the first time since the Thatcher years.

Of course not everyone using Food Banks is out of work. There are those in low-paid employment who have had little in the way of wage increases, yet still face the same bills as everyone else.

Many during the pandemic were furloughed on 80% of their income. Which if you had a good job and could save on commuting costs was fine. Not though if you were only on the Minimum Wage in the first place, and had to live on 20% less money while having identical financial commitments.

Food Banks are however only a temporary solution to the problems thousands have.

What we need are proper fulltime jobs for all, paying a decent wage.

And those incapable of holding down work such as the disabled should be given enough so that they aren’t forced to rely on charity.

Similarly, the retired with a lifetime of employment behind them should always see their pension rise at least in line with inflation. After all when it comes to grandiose items like new aircraft carriers there is money available for them.

Tim Mickleburgh,