Food Banks in Tory Britain

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/dec/04/food-bank-northampton-people-abandoned-by-state

Natalie Bloomer’s diary of a food bank in Northampton, reported in the Guardian, speaks for itself. It shows the harsh reality of life in Tory Britain for so many.  

As Natalie says, “Northampton is not a particularly deprived town yet almost 14,000 children are living in poverty here.” 

December: The diary begins a year ago in December 2018. Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and expectation but for so many it aggravates their sense of deprivation. “A woman comes in and says she has recently been moved on to universal credit. She received her last payment from the Department for Work and Pensions in mid-November and has been told not to expect anything else until 12 January. She doesn’t know how she will get through the festive period.”  

Two thirds of those using food banks do so because of problems with the benefits system - the introduction of Universal Credit and the vicious sanctions regime in particular. 

March: “A pregnant woman has been forced to use the food bank for the first time after being moved on to universal credit. She says she “hasn’t done much eating lately” and has been in hospital with malnutrition following a stomach bug. Her rent is high and there is a list of problems with her home that she is trying to get sorted. She is worried about her children and the new baby and says that feeding them comes before feeding herself.” 

Natalie records the sense of shame and embarrassment that many people feel on having to use a food bank. She concludes that the users have been abandoned by the state. It is the Tories and their system that should be ashamed. Let’s make sure we get rid of them.