The Chancellor’s pledge of a £1.5 billion package to make the roll-out of Universal Credit smoother has been welcomed by Salford foodbanks.

In addition, the Chancellor has pledged to scrap the seven-day ineligibility period which has forced families into longer waits for their money to come through. Tom Togher, CEO of the Salford Food Network, said: “The amount of people using food and crisis services has probably doubled in a two year period across Salford. “We expect December to be busy, which is expected with the colder weather. Households tend to have to need to use more of their disposable income on prepayment meters, which will put more stress on families in the winter. We notice straight away that there is a spike as soon as the weather turns cold.” Trussell Trust interim chief executive Mark Ward said: “Foodbanks tell us there’s more to be done – poor administration within Universal Credit is pushing people into crisis and more widely, the benefits freeze is further squeezing stretched incomes. However this is a positive step in the right direction and we look forward to more detail from the Secretary of State today.”

Salford City council says demand for foodbanks has dramatically increased in Salford, with a 43% rise on statistics from this time last year. Nationwide, the Trussell Trust expect this Christmas to be the busiest ever following new data that showed a 47% increase in usage this time last year and they expect that number to rise this December. A Trussell Trust study showed that between April 2016 and March 2017, foodbanks gave out over one million three-day emergency food supplies. A figure which includes over 400,000 children. Anyone in need of a foodbank in Salford can go to https://salford.foodbank.org.uk/get-help/

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