Over the summer, as reforms to the welfare and disability benefit system were being discussed by MPs, a team of foodbank clients, volunteers and staff, led by inHope’s Local Organiser Lauren Pritchard, travelled to Westminster as part of Trussell’s Lobby Day.

On Wednesday 18^th June, over 700 campaigners and foodbank representatives from across the country all travelled to the Palace of Westminster with the aim of influencing the decisions made by MPs which would affect whether millions of people would have enough money to eat.

Lobby Day was coordinated by Trussell (formerly the Trussell Trust) and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The day focused on the need for a Universal Credit Essentials Guarantee, so that people could afford the basic, everyday things that people need – food, heating, hygiene products and everyday items.

A team from inHope joined other local foodbanks to ensure Bristol and South Gloucestershire were well represented. There were around 20 individuals who either work or volunteer in anti-poverty organisations or have lived experience of poverty in Bristol. They all who spoke to four Parliamentary MPs about the need to ensure that Universal Credit provides social security for people when they need it. Two further MPs have since arranged to visit inHope to discuss the issues further.

With reforms to welfare and disability benefit system being discussed in detail by MPs the next day, it was a very poignant time to share with MPs the real stories of people from their communities who will be affected by the bill. Research shows that around five in six low-income households on Universal Credit currently go without enough for essentials like food and bills.

In Bristol & South Gloucestershire, 85% of people who have been to a Trussell Foodbank in the past year are in receipt some form of benefits. Many of those will be people who are in employment, but who still can’t afford the everyday essentials.  As such, inadequate social security is often given as a main reason for why people come to a foodbank.

Reflecting on Lobby Day, Lauren “I felt incredibly privileged to be trusted by those in our community to share their stories and experiences of the benefits system, with those who have the power to make a difference to their lives”.

In the immediate aftermath of Lobby Day, the government made some well-publicised concessions to the Welfare Reform Bill, which helped to ensure that the benefits of people living with disabilities were protected.  However, demand for foodbanks remains high, and so campaigning continues to ensure that the social security system does provide help to people when they need it, rather than needing a foodbank to survive.

Find out more about South & East Foodbank and how you can help: https://eastbristol.foodbank.org.uk/.