Working in policy and public affairs for @TrussellUK but views are my own, passionate about ending #homelessness and #destitution
Brighton UK
Joined September 2009
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🚨Brand new report making the case for a better system of local crisis support in England. trussell.org.uk/news-and-res…
Trying to survive on a low-income makes it near impossible to weather a financial shock.
This means quick access to crisis grants to help people get back on their feet, linked to a system of joined up local services and support to build financial resilience and make it less likely someone will need crisis support again.
A new series of tests for the forthcoming child poverty strategy are clear on how the strategy will be judged by the organisations committed to ending child poverty and the families and children living it @EndChildPoverty
📢Together with the 120+ orgs of the @EndChildPoverty Coalition, we are today launching a set of 'Eight Tests' that the government’s child poverty strategy must meet if it is to deliver on ending child poverty in this country.
👉 Read more: endchildpoverty.org.uk/8_tes…
This means going much further than the welcome steps the govt has already outlined e.g. on debt deductions from UC & extending the Household Support Fund.
The @EndChildPoverty coalition has set out 8 areas to test the strategy against when it is published.
Beatrice Orchard retweeted
We know what drives people to use food banks and we know what is required to end their need. @Trussell_NI has launched our NI policy priorities paper
trussell.org.uk/news-and-res…
A different kind of paper round today.
Delivering stories of hardship from people who have needed support from food banks and messages of hope for real change to MPs.
Because everyone should be able to afford the essentials @TrussellUK @jrf_uk
Beatrice Orchard retweeted
Inflation ticking back up again today driven by cost of energy - an essential that hits low income households harder.
This is why the basic rate of benefits needs to be linked to the real world cost of essentials.
Think we can all agree £91 per week is not enough
Over 1.4m emergency food parcels were given out to people unable to afford the essentials by food banks in the @TrussellUK community between April-Sep this year.
4% decrease on the same period in 2023, but 69% increase compared to 5 years ago. bigissue.com/news/social-jus…
63% of parcels went to families with children.
These stats are just part of the picture and lots of evidence to suggest hunger and hardship in the UK is higher than ever. It’s clear that much more needs to be done to really turn this around, including:
Beatrice Orchard retweeted
Today, I led a debate on foodbanks in Parliament. It was great to see MPs from all parties contribute and I am eager to see urgent action on this matter from the UK Government going forward.
@TrussellUK @jrf_uk @theSNP
Very encouraging to see the appetite from MPs to get into discussing solutions to ending the need for people to turn to food banks in today’s debate.
Momentum is building for more concrete action to turn around the rise in food bank need we have seen in the UK.
Very pleased to hear announcement of continued funding for the Household Support Fund in 2025/26 in #AutumnBudget. Locally delivered crisis support is a lifeline for individuals and families facing immediate hardship. 1/3
Timely, cash-first support connected to wider advice can prevent councils from having to pay much higher costs down the line.
But we do need to move away from short-term funding settlements which make it hard for councils to effectively plan and resource local schemes. (2/3)