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My @guardian live blog piece: Failing to commit to £20 per week uplift to universal credit beyond April would be 'madness', MPs told https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/nov/18/uk-politics-live-starmer-corbyn-restore-whip-labour-antisemitism-covid?page=with:block-5fb556918f08161b0b9c79d6#block-5fb556918f08161b0b9c79d6
(Thread): It wasn't just economists who gave evidence at the @CommonsWorkPen today - there was some striking testimony from organisations working on the pandemic crisis front line that gave a vivid sense of the scale of agony and suffering of those now on the breadline... (1)
The director of public health for Newham, @strelitz_jason told MPs eight tonnes of surplus food were distributed to struggling families in the borough in the three months before the pandemic. Since March that had risen to 627 tonnes, an “absolutely staggering step change.” (2)
Sam Carter, a debt adviser at the @StepChange
advice charity reported many more people were contacting them in financial dire straits. “I will have people on the phone saying … they will go out on the street and pick [discarded] clothes up and wash them and wear them." (3)
advice charity reported many more people were contacting them in financial dire straits. “I will have people on the phone saying … they will go out on the street and pick [discarded] clothes up and wash them and wear them." (3)
The stigma of food banks cropped up a lot at the hearing. Andrew Forsey of @Feeding_Britain, reported people walking miles out of their way to go to a food bank on the other side of town to avoid the shame and humiliation of being recognised... (4)
Similarly, Stella West-Harling of @DartmoorHub told MPs many people in hardship - often small business owners - would not take food charity out of pride despite being hungry and distressed. "it's hard for them to want to come to a food bank." (5)
West-Harling also noted how many people - particularly those who were older, and geographically isolated - suffered from loneliness or depression: "Probably 30% of the people I see have some form of need that is more than just food.” (6)
Gary Vaux, head of money advice at @hertscc, representing @NAWRA_UK said the self-employed, often working far fewer hours as a result of the pandemic, were especially hard-hit. "They are not seeing themselves as unemployed, they are seeing themselves as flat broke." (7)
Some self-employed people, of course, worked no hours as their business disappeared, yet did not qualify for support through the social security system. According to @TorstenBell of @resfoundation, here were a (staggering) 500k people in this position in September. (8)
And the dire legacy of the benefit cap remains. While a family with two kids might typically receive around £30 from school holiday food support, pointed out Gary Vaux, if they were benefit-capped (and 114k are) this would leave them £250 worse off over the same period. (ends)
