Examine the recipe for food poverty

THE Government has got to “attack the causes of food poverty” — that’s the view of Oldham’s foodbank manager as figures revealed almost 5,000 residents sought help from the borough’s foodbank this year.

Andrew Barr, who runs the Clegg Street foodbank, also said he “agrees 100 per cent” with comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury that the Government must “seize recommendations” made in a parliamentary report that aims to end UK hunger by 2020.

The report calls for bigger foodbanks, advice on how to claim benefits and the provision of free school meals during the school holidays for children of poor families.

However, foodbank figures are already extremely stark with 4,921 Oldhamers having received three days’ emergency food in 2014 — 2,882 of those doing so as a result of benefit changes or delays.

Mr Barr said: “Prevention is better than any cure and foodbanks are a temporary emergency service.

“The welfare system should be a safety net and we need to make sure that that safety net doesn’t have any holes in it.”

Mr Barr explained that the line between food plenty and food poverty is extremely thin.

He said: “We have a number of situations where people have gone from top to bottom in one easy move.

“There are many people only one pay cheque away from poverty. Too many people, particularly in Oldham, are on low wages and we need to address the concept of the zero-hour contract which can lead to no money in a very short space of time. Oldham also has a very high success rate when appealing against benefits that have been sanctioned but by then people have already been without money for a significant amount of time.”

Mr Barr also agreed with the Archbishop’s comments that it should be made easier for UK food companies to pass on food they can no longer sell.

To make a donation to the foodbank, visit 24 Clegg Street or call 0161-622 1061.

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