'If NI Secretary of State is using the poor as a stick to beat our politicians with it is immoral' says Craigavon Foodbank chairperson

Craigavon Area Food Bank has seen record numbers of people seeking help and a thorough analysis of the figures over the last five years show it has more to do with the low levels of income for many in jobs and a very low level of benefits for those who are unable to work, disabled or carers.

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According to the Trussell Trust which is the main charity involved in foodbanks across the UK, its recent report into the situation in NI found that a record 81,084 emergency food parcels were given out by food banks in the Trussell Trust network in NI between April 2022 and March 2023.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “This is the most parcels the network has ever distributed in a single year: a 29% increase compared to 2021/2022 and a shocking 141% increase compared to five years ago. Alarmingly more than 35,000 of the parcels provided in Northern Ireland in the past 12 months went to children.

"This continual increase over a sustained period indicates that it is systemically low levels of income and a social security system that isn’t fit for purpose, that is leading people to need to use food banks, rather than just the recent cost of living crisis or an exceptional event such as COVID. More than 26,000 people used a food bank in the Trussell Trust network in Northern Ireland for the first time in the last 12 months – this is more than the population of the town of Antrim.

Chris Leech, Chair of Craigavon Area Food Bank and who has been on the front line of this food crisis, said: “The rise in food bank usage over the past few years is a reflection of the unwillingness of our government to care for its citizens. Appropriate benefit support needs to be provided for those out of work. This provision should be fair and adequate so that people do not have to access community based support such as food banks and social supermarkets. Effectively these services are supplementing the welfare system. Additional support is also needed for those in lower paid employment, with research showing that 20% of food bank users are working.

"Recent budget cuts across all government departments have had a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable. If these cuts are being used as leverage to force our MLA’s back into Stormont, then effectively the Secretary of State is using the poor as a stick to beat our politicians with. This, in my opinion, is an immoral and oppressive act.

"The recent interest rate rises, which have been implemented to tackle inflation, are also having a significant impact on people on lower incomes. The rental housing market is already extremely expensive and volatile, with landlords often passing on rate rises in the form of rent increases. Increasingly landlords are selling up due to the pressure of interest rates.

"We desperately need our politicians back in government at Stormont, to speak with a collective voice about the effects of budgets cuts across all sections of society, with health, welfare, education and the community sector all forced to reduce services. We need a way forward before irreparable damage is done to people and services.”

The latest research by the Trussell Trust finds that one in six people –around 16% of the population – face hunger across Northern Ireland due to a lack of money. This equates to around 354,000 people, around the population of Belfast and the surrounding district.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “With record numbers of people across the country already forced to turn to food banks, our first of its kind Hunger in Northern Ireland report starkly reveals this is just the tip of the iceberg, with many more struggling with hunger, without yet reaching for charity support.

"Certain groups of people, such as women, disabled people, carers, parents, and people going through an adverse life experience like a bereavement or domestic abuse, are more likely to end up with no other option but to turn to charitable food support. Our research finds the design and delivery of the social security system is failing to protect people and is the driving factor in pushing people towards hunger. We know that it doesn’t have to be like this.

"Our research highlights this is just the tip of the iceberg. Most people facing hunger (75%) had not yet accessed any form of charitable food support. And yet, the number of emergency food parcels provided by food banks in the Trussell Trust network more than doubled in five years between 2017/18 and 2021/22. The pandemic and cost of living crisis are not the main cause of food bank need – they exposed and exacerbated existing hardship and cast light on a weakened social security system which cannot protect people from needing to use a food bank. The scale of hunger has followed an upward trend over the past five years.

"Certain groups of people are more likely to face hunger than others. These groups include: women, disabled people, families with children (especially single parents), carers, people who’ve spent time in care system growing up, people who face structural inequalities such as LGBTQ+ and ethnic minority communities, single adults living alone, and people who’ve had adverse life experiences.

"The main driver of hunger and food bank need in Northern Ireland is low income. Overwhelmingly, this is caused by problems in the design and delivery of the social security system, compounded by too many jobs being inaccessible, unstable and not paying enough to cover essential costs.”