Yesterday (28th February), Mandy, our manager,
went to Westminster to join a delegation handing in a petition to the leaders of UK political parties in Westminster, urging them to support the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee. The delegation included the chief executives of Trussell Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Emma Revie and Paul Kissak, as well as the actor, Charlotte Ritchie, representatives of other local foodbanks. Representatives from Barnardo’s, Locality, Motor Neuron Disease Association, Just Fair, and Mental Health Foundation were also there.
The Essentials Guarantee would guarantee that Universal Credit would always be enough to cover the cost of the essentials such as food, utilities and vital household goods.
More than 150,000 people signed the petition set up by the Trussell Trust foodbank network and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The idea has received overwhelming support from charities and faith groups
The Essentials Guarantee would be set regularly, based on an independent recommendation, and would be the first time since the welfare state was created that social security rates were based on what people need, and how much those things actually cost.
Mandy, Manager at Pontypridd Foodbank said:
“More and more people are coming to our food bank because Universal Credit simply isn’t enough to afford the essentials. I know first-hand what this feels like. Universal Credit is not enough for me and my kids to live off and the knock-on effect of having to tread water every day can make you feel helpless.
But this can change, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who signed this petition and is standing with us today. An Essentials Guarantee would drastically reduce the number of people who need my food bank’s support and give hope to people in the same situation I was in.”
See more on The Trussell Trust website
Photos © Jess Hurd 28/02/2024 London. PRESS PHOTOS
