Tag: food banks

Bishop of Manchester asks about cost of living impacts for benefits recipients

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on changes to the universal credit system during a discussion on welfare reform on 1st September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I am glad to hear that the Minister is so passionate about this and that, overall, this is taking place. As part of that, however, the Trussell Trust tells me that the majority of people who go to food banks are already on universal credit. Are the Government going to look at what it actually costs to survive in this country so that that can be factored into what levels of universal credit people are going to be getting?

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about efforts to address loneliness and social isolation

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answer on 27th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Centre for Social Justice report Lonely Nation – Part 4: Loneliness and food banks, published in December 2024, which found that over twice as many people who use food banks feel lonely most of the time compared to all adults, what steps they are taking to address loneliness and social isolation as a root cause of food bank usage.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church Music, Conservation, Food Banks

On 23rd January 2025, Marsha De Cordova MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Churches: Music

Stuart Anderson MP (Con, South Shropshire): To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to support churches in rural areas engage local communities in music.

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about effects of loneliness on food bank usage, and financial viability of apprenticeships for young people

The Bishop of Newcastle receive the following written answers on 6th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address loneliness and social isolation as a root cause of foodbank usage following a recent report published by the Centre for Social Justice which found that over twice as many people who use foodbanks feel lonely most of the time compared to other adults.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about provision of refrigerators and freezers to food banks

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Markham on 14 December 2022 (HL Deb col 653), what assessment they have made of the provision of freezers and fridges to increase food banks’ storage capacity.

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about government approach to those at risk of poverty

The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question on government assessments of those at risk of falling into poverty during a debate on rising food prices on 25th May 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, in the diocese which I serve, charities in Harlow alone have fed more than 1 million people in the last year, which, frighteningly, represents a slower than the average demand for food banks nationally. I draw the Minister’s attention to the Bounty Club, which works with local businesses and people on the edge of crisis, helping them access a large bag of fresh food for £2.50, saving households on average £20 to £40 a week. Demand in Harlow is such that queues are regularly seen from St Paul’s Church right down the street. What assessment have the Government made of the number of people who are on the cusp of falling into poverty? What strategies are they considering to prevent people requiring the use of their local food bank or even charities such as the Bounty Club?

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Bishop of Derby asks about supply chain issues affecting food banks

The Bishop of Derby asked a question on the effect of food supply chain issues on food banks, during a debate on food provision by charities on 27th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, 80% of our churches currently support food banks. The Food 4 Thought Alliance was set up to respond to the immediate needs of people in Derby at the start of the Covid pandemic. It reports a 30% increase, already mentioned here, in the distribution of food parcels since last year.

The National Farmers’ Union cautioned last year that we were

“sleepwalking into a food supply crisis”.

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Church Commissioners Written Answers: Food Banks

Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP on 1st March 2023:

Jim Shannon MP (DUP): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will hold discussions with the Church of England on taking steps to help increase foodbank donations.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about funding for development of food banks into alternative social programmes

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 20th February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for a funding programme for food banks to develop into alternative forms of initiative, such as food clubs or social supermarkets.

Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con): Food Banks are independent, charitable organisations where local communities come together to support one another. This is a great example of the generosity of spirit across the country. The Government has no role in their operation.

Hansard

Bishop of Chelmsford asks about debt management process for universal credit recipients

The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question on reform to debt management for universal credit recipients during a debate on food banks and the rise in poverty on 9th January 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, given the data published by the Trussell Trust in December which revealed that 57% of people referred to food banks who are in receipt of universal credit face government deductions from their or their partner’s benefits income, could the Minister outline what steps the Government will take to reform the debt management process for universal credit?

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