A St Ann’s food bank manager says people are reduced to tears by the five-week wait for Universal Credit – a hardship that could worsen under proposed £20bn welfare cuts.
Universal Credit is a monthly government payment to help low or no income individuals pay living costs.
But new claimants typically have to wait five weeks for their first payment which leaves many without any funds.
Labour MP Chris Curtis has called for the welfare bill to be reduced by £20 billion.
His calls come amid the hardships described by St Ann’s food bank coordinator Clare Burfoot, who said: “People come in crying.
“I sit there and I think, oh my god, people have got nothing.
“They’ve got nothing, no food, no electricity, because when you switch over to universal credit from another benefit, they leave you five weeks with no money.”
Anti-poverty charities warn that cuts of this scale could deepen the strain already felt by households navigating the five-week wait.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimated that: “Two in five families due to move onto Universal Credit will be unable to meet basic living costs during the five-week wait.”
Inside the small food bank in St Ann’s – run only by Clare and two volunteers – the consequences of this transition period are apparent.
Demand rises and falls but Clare says most visitors share the same story.
As the benefit changeover deadline approaches, the need for donations has intensified.
Clare said: “Now it’s colder, nobody’s got any money to even buy food, because food prices have gone up and their benefits have basically stayed the same.
“I know what it’s like.
“They say get an advance, but then you’re skint because you’ve got to pay it back.
“It never ends.”
Although demand increases in winter, donations often slow down.
Clare said: “It’s a bit of a struggle sometimes, at this time of year nobody’s got any money to donate.”
The food bank survives through community initiatives in churches, shops and local groups, along with contributions from residents themselves.
Despite the hardship many residents face, Clare remains confident the community will come together. She said: “People in St Ann’s will give quite a bit.
“For saying that people haven’t got a lot of money, they will give.”
