Cost of living: Blackpool and Fylde food banks have had a 54% rise in emergency food parcels in 12 months and 100% since 2017

File photo dated 17/01/18 of goods at a food bank. The cost-of-living crisis is driving food banks to "breaking point" with almost 1.3 million emergency parcels given to people in hunger over just six months, a leading charity has said. Issue date: Thursday November 10, 2022. PA Photo. The Trussell Trust issued a stark warning on Thursday after new research showed record-breaking levels of need, with one in five individuals referred to its network now coming from working households. See PA story CHARITY Foodbanks. Photo credit should read: Andy Buchanan/PA Wire

Figures from the Trussell Trust show that the amount of parcels handed out by food banks have risen from 1,698 between April 01 – Sept 30, 2021.

For the same period in 2022 the total was 2,872.

And the figures also show that demand has risen 100% over a five year period – from 971 in 2017.

The Trussell Trust, which supports more than 1,300 food bank centres, says the cost of living emergency has created a ‘tsunami of need’, as people struggle to survive amidst the soaring costs of living.

The charity warns that food banks are at ‘breaking point’, both physically and mentally, and are set to face the hardest winter yet as they expect to provide more than 7,000 emergency food parcels a day on average in the next six months.

£10m housing investment completed on Blackpool estate

Emma Revie, chief executive at the Trussell Trust, said: “These new statistics show that, even in summer months, people are struggling to afford the essentials and we are expecting that this winter will be the hardest yet for food banks and the people they support. This is not right.

“We know that with the right support and a stable and sufficient income, people don’t need to turn to food banks for support. Over the last few years, the government has acted to protect people who are struggling, and this action has had made a difference. They must now act again: with swift support now to help people through the winter, and with vision for the longer-term to ensure that social security is always enough to weather challenging times.

“We are calling for the Prime Minister to act decisively in next week’s budget. We urge the UK government to realise their commitment of supporting people on the lowest income with a broad package of support. As well as ensuring that benefits rise with inflation as soon as possible, this must go further to close the gap between price rises and incomes over the winter.”