[Livia]

Originally Posted by Josy

Food poverty definitely has risen, by 38%.

1,084,604 were given emergency food in 2014/2015 so far

29% of those were due to benefit delays
26% were due to lo income
13% were due to benefits changes

The sole reason the government dismiss food bank statistics is because it rubbishes their claims that the plan is working and doesn't fit in with their manipulations of figures.

Is that 1,084,604 people rely on emergency food (because that's what your statement suggests), or that food banks have been used 1,084,604 times? I just don't believe one in sixty of the population rely on food banks to eat.

That particular set of figures has been manipulated so many times by so many different people, I find it hard to believe anyone where those stats are concerned.

Food banks were around during the Labour government, they've increased. That's a good thing, isn't it? I acknowledge that lots of people are in need but don't believe it's all the fault of the Tories any more than the recession was totally the fault of Labour. My own local council is one of the fastest in the country to paying benefits to those in need. It's a Tory council. They've also not raised the council tax for eight years and yet services have improved. The Tory councillors in my district council have just increased from 36 to 40, so 40 out of 45 councillors are Tory. They must be doing something right.