Plymouth food banks face huge demand

New working party to help local families

Food banks in Plymouth are catering for three times more people than they were a year ago. 

The figure was revealed as the city council’s cabinet voted to set up a special working party to look into the effects of the cost of living crisis in the city.

The new group, to be led by Cllr Sue Dann (Lab, Sutton and Mount Gould), will work with partners to set up financial services and offer help and advice to residents facing financial hardship.

Campaigns will also be run to promote access to services such as free school meals.

Council leader Tudor Evans (Lab, Ham) told the meeting on Monday: “People in Plymouth are paying the price for this national crisis. They are working harder, paying more and getting less.

“In Plymouth the average wage is well below the national average, and more people than ever before are needing food banks and other support.

“Parents are going without food to make sure their children are fed.”

Those most likely to be hit hard by the crisis are households on low incomes, those in social housing and people who are homeless. It means ‘months of worry’ for people in Plymouth, said a report to the committee, scrutinising every penny spent but still running out of money as there simply isn’t enough to cover expenses.

Dr Ruth Harrell, the city’s director of public health, said: “Households in Plymouth will be struggling with this for years to come.

“It is really damaging to their health and wellbeing.”

And on the subject of spiralling fuel bills she pointed out: “Cold homes cost lives.”

Cllr Chris Penberthy (Lab, St Peter and the Waterfront) told the committee: “We have made a really conscious effort to tackle the problems of poverty in the city, and we have been doing well.

“However, the behaviour of government over the last couple of years has meant that a lot of that work has been unpicked.

“We need to make sure that the children of today do not end up bringing up their children in poverty in 10 or 20 years time.

“We are not just going to deal with the here and now. We are going to deal with people’s tomorrows as well.”