'Benefit sanctions can plunge families into financial crisis, hunger, and dependency on food banks for up to half a year, far longer than the period for which they have had payments stopped, according to a new study.
The study, Cheshire Hunger looked in detail at the reasons why people had been given food bank vouchers and estimated the length of time they would be dependent on food aid.
It adds to a growing body of evidence directly linking welfare reforms with food bank use, and comes as a coalition of major churches call for an overhaul of the “inhumane” sanctions system.'
http://www.theguardian.com/society/p...gry-for-months
'More than 93,000 of Britain's poorest children went hungry last year due to cruel benefit cuts, a damning new report shows.
David Cameron has hugely increased the use of cash-saving punishments such as stopping payments for a month or more for welfare claimants who fail to meet strict Job Centre demands.
But the Coalition’s welfare cuts and brutal penalties hit society’s most vulnerable hardest and in effect punish kids for their parents’ failings, the report claims.'
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...result-5255846