MP calls for more cost-of-living support after food bank nearly runs out of food

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More support is needed to help working families through the cost-of-living crisis, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney’s MP has said in parliament.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday April 24, Labour MP Gerald Jones highlighted Rhymney Valley Foodbank – which found itself on the brink of closure earlier this month after nearly running out of food due to high demand.

Mr Jones said there is “little understanding of the scale of the problem the country is facing, let alone a willingness to do something about it”. 

Posing a question to Mims Davies, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mr Jones said: “Food banks in my constituency and across the country are struggling to deal with demand.

“More than 40% of people using them are in work, and they are used by one in six children whose families receive universal credit. 

“Meanwhile, the local housing allowance remains frozen and the five-week wait for Universal Credit is increasing debt. 

“All those factors contributed to the reason why one of the food banks in my constituency nearly closed its doors last week, namely that it had no food to give out.”

Mr Jones asked Ms Davies what the UK Government was doing to support families, and asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to assess the reasons why families receiving Universal Credit were having to use food banks.

Responding to Mr Jones, Ms Davies said the DWP does not assess the reasons why families use food banks but does “understand the pressures” people are facing.

She highlighted a 10.1% benefits increase introduced this month, as well the minimum wage rising to £10.42 an hour – on top of £11 billion worth of cost-of-living payments issued by the UK Government. 

Ms Davies also mentioned the Household Support Fund, which she said would “provide an additional £50 million to help families in Wales through difficult times” – as well as the £301 cost-of-living payments.

Ms Davies recommended people access the Help for Households website, which has information about assistance with travel, energy, childcare, household costs and income support.