Record number of food parcels handed out in Wigan last year

The Trussell Trust – the country's leading operator of food banks – distributes millions of food parcels to those in need and the number has risen again this year.In Wigan, 6,846 food parcels were handed out in the year to March – more than double the 4,177 in 2021-22.

This was the highest number of parcels provided in the area since at least 2017-18.Last year 2,569 of these parcels – 38 per cent – were given to children. In 2021-22 it was 1,555 (37 per cent).

Across the UK, 2,986,203 emergency food parcels were given out between April 2022 and March 2023 – up 37 per cent on 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.Chief executive Emma Revie 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 anti-poverty charity Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Trussell Trust is urging the Government to adopt an “essentials guarantee”, ensuring universal credit payments cover the cost of basic essentials.Research by the two charities suggests the current £85 universal credit standard allowance is £35 short.

Also helping people in Wigan is The Brick, which moved away from a traditional food bank model last year to a co-operative model food community, where members pay a nominal amount to shop.

Chief executive Keely Dalfen said: “Immediate relief of hunger must be a first step, but it cannot solve poverty and we are supporting more and more people who are in work and are unable to afford their bills. We now have over 1,100 members of The Brick food community and are constantly reviewing and increasing our offer, which now includes other essential household items such as cleaning products, toiletries and even data so that people can get online.

"We urge the Government to review the universal credit standard allowance, stop punitive sanctioning, scrap the two-child limit for child benefit and increase the local housing allowance in line with inflation. We need a Government that will prioritise social mobility collaboratively with business, so that everyone in paid employment earns enough to live and jobs are secure.”

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 per cent 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."