FOOD / Energy / Clothing BANKS : MORE A HUMANITARIAN THREAD ? 100,000+ Carers Reported As Needing Them In 2018

[Chris From The Gulag]

Lincolnshire.

http://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/chris ... story.html

Same story , even Louth ( Home to Robert Wyatt ! ) now has it's own food bank.

I wonder if he is still feelin' , reeling' and squealin' ?????????

I bet that's a real eye opener for that Tory bastion !!!

[Chris From The Gulag]

Cambridgeshire.

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/ca ... t-12348688

Same story.

Place your bets now on the first college to open it's own food bank ???

Next room to where they hold the usual masters' feast ???

[Chris From The Gulag]

My 'ome town , Worksop.

http://www.hopeservices.org.uk/bassetlaw-food-bank/

What's interesting is the tombstone of support agencies.

Not one carers organisation listed !!!

[Chris From The Gulag]

A variation on the theme of foodbanks , not unknown in my adopted town , Worksop , and a lot of other
" Depressed " towns and areas.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... food-waste

Obviously , there is a commercial element in the trade but , the opportunity presented itself , and both do gooders and entrepeneurs have taken said opportunity.

Perhaps Auf Wiedersehn's Barry need not have concentrated on the Russian market in today's Sad New World ?

When resources are strictly limited, price is the number one factor.

[Chris From The Gulag]

For me , a local story which does bring some hope that , at least , one young person is aware of the problems with daily life for some in this neck of the woods.

http://www.worksopguardian.co.uk/news/w ... -1-8428209

In Worksop and surrounding villages , such gestures occured regularly during the Miners strike over 30 years ago.

No one on strike now but economic and social conditions have worsened to the extent that more are needing to visit the local food bank.

..... and Worksop is only one town , better off than several others in the old coal mining regions.

As Austerity continues it's ice like grip , the numbers using food banks will increase.

..... and some will be our fellow carers.

[Chris From The Gulag]

In reponse to several reports on this subject appearing over the Internet , I can confirm that Trussells are now providing female sanitary supplies along with other daily essentials , food and energy being the main ones.

If any readers are , or know someone who is , using a Trussells foodbank , best to check for availibility in advance as this is yet another new venture for what is fast become , the UK's Number One charity.

Their own web site does not carry this news but confirmed from other sources.

Within 5 years , Trussells to overtake the Tescos / Aldis of this world ?

[Chris From The Gulag]

One person's feedback on the Trussells Facebook site worth posting ... so simple , so apt ???

Do you know what, Trussell Trust, the best thing people could do is campaign for a fairer benefit system. If we supported people on a low income with cash then we wouldn't need them to rely on the humiliation of charity, no matter how well meaning.

The answer that the present Government , and the all before I was born , refuses to accept ?

Those carers in receipt of an income replacement payment / benefit ( Pittance for short ) , perhaps with a few extras tacked on , know only too well ???????????????

[Chris From The Gulag]

Another report on food poverty , this time from the Foods Standard Agency.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... ncy-survey

Any regular reader who surfs over to the article will find nothing really new beyond further evidence for the problem that is now near enough to be in the top three of immediate priorities for ANY Government.

Strange how the number one solution to the problem echos through our world as well ... lack of money.

As a carer , that solution is totally out of our hands.

Stop caring and find employment .... DWP.

Fine , how much does it cost to replace me a carer ?

Don't ask silly questions .... DWP.

And , caring is a choice .... Our Supporting Organisations ...

Slightly different emphasis if made by a carer ? Adding the words " Supposed to be " in case many outside readers see nothing else other the headline ? Would make what usually follows not contradict the heading ?

Just who lives in the real world ?

Not us , our world doesn't have choices ... or enforceable Rights ... beyond the " Right " to continue to care until one drops dead , or too burnt out.

Even then , the medical profession can put you on a chemical cocktail to keep you caring ....

[Chris From The Gulag]

A Canadian commenting in the Guardian back in December 2014.

The UK’s political parties – as well as those in Canada – should revisit the right to food, and think through its practical application for addressing food poverty. Make the moral, legal and political case for its entrenchment in domestic law and set an international standard for first world wealthy societies. The point is this: charity is never the answer to food poverty.

In the words of Louise Arbour, former Canadian supreme court justice and UN high commissioner for human rights: “There will always be a place for charity, but charitable responses are not an effective, principled or sustainable substitute for enforceable human rights guarantees.”

Words of wisdom , and yet lost with our lot ?

[Chris From The Gulag]

Bought over from another thread so as to provide all information under this thread as a reference point for any readers needing to explore this area ... hopefully , a lot less than the current projections !!!!!!!

Prepayment meters :

https://www.trusselltrust.org/2016/12/2 ... ry-winter/

The figures are staggering with every indication that 2017 will see further increases.

Clear link in this situation as many in the 1 in 4 of the population are trapped , especially those renting in the private sector with no means of avoiding prepayment meters.

In cities , and larger towns , it is not unusual to find a " Landlord's meter " between the mains supply and
the tenants , leading to profit being made at the expense of the tenant , sometimes as high as 20% or more.

Needless to say , there are no current legal remedies available beyond moving property. Given the costs
involved , beyond the resources of far too many.

As it has been reported , 40% of mps are BTL landlords and , it is highly unlikely that the present situation will be given " Every " consideration if ever discussed in the House.