A record 9.3 million people in the UK, including one in five children, are facing hunger and hardship, according to an anti-poverty charity. Trussell revealed that 6.3 million adults and three million children are living significantly below the poverty line and are likely using food banks or at risk of doing so. This figure, for the year up to March 2023, has increased by 580,000 from the previous year and by one million over five years, marking a record high since comparable records began in 2000.
Trussell, which runs a network of food banks across the UK, reported that one in seven (14.0%) people and one in five (20.9%) children are facing hunger and hardship. US singer Taylor Swift’s donation to 1,400 food banks during her Eras Tour was highlighted as having a significant impact in raising awareness of their work.
The charity warned that without government intervention, a further 425,000 people, including 170,000 children, could be in need by 2026/27. Trussell’s data illustrated that more than half (53%) of those facing hardship are in disabled families, with almost one in three (32%) in single-parent families affected. Infants and children up to four years old are at the highest risk of facing such circumstances, at 24%.
The charity’s director of policy, research, and impact, Helen Barnard, emphasized that the figures are alarming for one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Trussell suggested that implementing an Essentials Guarantee to ensure Universal Credit covers basic necessities could help lift 1.9 million people, including 580,000 children, out of poverty by 2026.
Calls have also been made to remove the two-child limit and benefit cap, changes that could potentially reduce the number of people facing hunger and hardship by 825,000, including 570,000 children. Despite the significant impact, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimated the cost to the government of removing these policies as £3.3 billion per year.
While advocates push for policy changes, the Government stated through a spokesperson that no child should live in poverty. Initiatives like the Household Support Fund have been extended to aid the most vulnerable this winter, with a commitment to reviewing Universal Credit as part of a broader plan to tackle inequality.
Trussell’s research, conducted by WPI Economics, provided insights into the income survey data and defined hunger and hardship as being more than 25% below the poverty line. The charity urges the UK government to prioritise immediate relief in the upcoming Budget to prevent further exacerbation of hunger and hardship among the population.