Helen Barnard’s Post

You've seen The Trussell Trust stats showing how bad the problem of hunger and destitution has become. Have you checked out our manifesto with out top 10 solutions? Read it here https://lnkd.in/eqUFPUw8 And some quick headlines: 1. Urgent reform of social security, establishing the principle that benefits should cover the cost of essentials. 2. Dramatically reduce the amount the UK government can claw back from people's Universal Credit payments through debt deductions. 3. Long-term approach & funding for local crisis support: grants + preventative advice and services. At least at level of Household Support Fund. 4. Financial inclusion strategy prioritising people facing destitution: advice & support on money matters, affordable credit. 5. Swift & accurate decisions about disability social security support. 6. Overhauled employment support: Strengths based approach, long term funding to expand specialist support. Jobcentre Plus shift away from box-ticking & sanctions to tailored support & job matching. 7. Remove caps & limits reducing value of children's social security support. Protected minimum to mitigate impact of benefit cap, scrap two-child limit. 8. New workers rights to improve job security & effective enforcement of existing rights. 9. Invest in social housing. 10. Empowering communities: design places, spaces & transport that build connection. New community right to shape public services. (More detail and a wider range of recommendations in the 8 building block briefings at the bottom of this page: https://t.co/QxgUE1qbDc)

Just think about it: 1.4 million emergency food parcels handed out by Trussell Trust food banks in just six months. That’s a staggering number & a clear sign that our social security system isn’t working as it should. But I believe change is possible. With the right support, we can actually reduce long-term reliance on food banks by combining cash grants with tailored advice, to help families not just survive a crisis, but move towards stability. This isn’t just about food – it’s about dignity, choice, and building a system that supports people when they need it most. That’s why we need to collectively call for reforms to Universal Credit to ensure it covers the basics: food, heating, toiletries – the essentials. We need to end the five-week wait for first payments and scrap the two-child limit. These policies are driving families deeper into hardship for no good reason. A future without hunger is possible. But it needs more than hope – it needs political will, systemic change, and a real shift in how we think about poverty. Let’s leave the stigma behind and focus on compassion and understanding. To those in Parliament: it’s time for bold action. Implement an essentials guarantee in Universal Credit. Invest in preventative measures. Together, we can end hunger and hardship in the UK. #EndHungerUK #SocialSecurity #UniversalCredit #FoodBanks

The Growing Crisis: Young Adults Turning to Food Banks Demand for food assistance has surged, with a shocking report showing that a quarter of young people aged 18-24 rely on food banks due to financial struggles. We discuss policy recommendations and urgent needs for affordable housing and enhanced social support. #FoodBankCrisis #YouthStruggles #SocialAssistance #HousingCrisis #CharitySupport #PolicyChange #CommunityAid #FoodSecurity #EconomicGrowth #CTVNews

Meeting with key partners and stakeholders over the past few weeks we find we are all on the same page. In a new report, the Trussell Trust highlights the staggering increase in the need for emergency food aid across the UK over the past year and recent years. Food banks in the Trussell Trust network distributed a record 3.12 million emergency food parcels in 2023/24, a 4% increase from the previous year and nearly double the number from 5 years ago. The main driver continues to be inadequate incomes from benefits/low wages that fail to cover essentials like food and bills. Other factors include benefit issues, health problems, housing insecurity. The impact has been particularly severe for families with children, who accounted for nearly two-thirds of food parcels distributed. Pensioner households needing food banks has quadrupled since 2018/19. There was temporary respite when the government's Cost of Living Payments were distributed, but need quickly rebounded after as the payments were one-off while incomes remain inadequate. Over 655,000 people were forced to use a food bank for the first time in 2023/24 due to worsening financial hardship. The Trussel Trust report calls for an "Essentials Guarantee" to reform Universal Credit and ensure adequate minimum incomes, as well as broader policies to tackle poverty's root causes. We couldn't agree more! This aligns well with our innovative FoodSavers model which provides an affordable way for households to access surplus food while building community through savings, cooking classes and loyalty programs. Combining income-boosting policies with initiatives like FoodSavers could help ensure no one is forced to return to food banks due to poverty. #FoodforHealthnotWealth #WestandwithTrussell

You can dress it up however you like but the truth is stark. The Tories have created a food bank system that really is the worst of all worlds. If we want to remove food banks then control the economy and food costs and also raise the minimum wage. Due to out of control inflation in food prices where they have doubled or tripled in recent times hundreds of thousands of children and adults now go hungry and some are starving. We have become a third world failed state where the rich eat like kings excessively but the poor go hungry. It can change, but the next government needs to take charge of local food and imports, inflation and wages. Economic growth is key and the current government has failed to produce this for far too long. The growth seen is not in the right areas and we have become a zombie state. Time to wake up and grow the wealth for all people in our country, starting with the poorest who have seen the worst of the pandemic and are on the edge. It's an easy choice really. #economy #foodbanks #poverty #democracy https://lnkd.in/ees-GYTG

In these general election debates, where the discussion is around the harm that the government and those in power have caused people in this country, rather than the discussion then moving onto ways of ending that harm, it shifts to the same people in power proving that they themselves didn't cause the harm. While they're pointing fingers at each other, the NHS continues to be on its knees, the climate crisis continues to edge into irreversible doom, millions continue to be displaced due to wars funded by the west, and child poverty continues to sky rocket. So when you're voting next week, please remember that the problem in this country is not the person in front of you in the supermarket on food stamps, it's not trans people living their lives as best as they can, it's not nurses going on strike demanding adequate compensation for the life saving work they do, it's not the mother who risked her life and her children's lives by crossing the sea in an orange boat, it's not the younger generation demanding more empathy and understanding. The problem is that 10% of people in this country own nearly half of the total wealth in the UK. The problem is that 4 companies own 85% of the meat market. The problem is that 4 airlines control 80% of travel. The problem is that 3 companies own 90% of the soda market. The problem is that 3 companies own 70% of the cereal market. The problem is that private companies with their own agenda are having more of a say in how our hospitals, education systems and governments are run. And why isn't this being discussed more? Because 6 companies own 90% of the news. So when I vote next week, I will ensure that my vote is not supporting the people in power who uphold this system, benefit from this system and help to set up this system. The point of electing people into power, and the point of having a society, is to care for each other, ease suffering, rehabilitate people, educate people and to, dare I say it, enjoy our lives. If our government continue to line the pockets of the wealthiest in this country, we will continue to have a burnt out, unwell workforce who will remain one pay check away from poverty. Personally, I think that when someone's net worth reaches a billion they should receive a certificate saying "congratulations, you won at capitalism!" and then every pound they earn over a billion is redistributed back into society to support the working people who are why that individual can earn a billion. And before you say that this won't work, Finland are set to have eradicated homelessness by 2025 by offering the homeless community homes. This has cost less to the economy than policing homeless people. Because with a roof over their heads, homeless people in Finland are able to be rehabilitated back into society, are less likely to get sick and can contribute back to the economy. #generalelection

📢 Over 1.4 million emergency food parcels were provided by food banks in the Trussell community in just 6 months. Why? Because our social security system is falling short. But it doesn't have to be this way.    Our social security system should support us, especially when we need it most.     The UK Government must make sure Universal Credit covers the cost of essentials like food, heating and toiletries. A future where everyone can afford these essentials is possible. Today we gathered with organisations from across the UK at Parliament Square to deliver The Hardship Times to parliament. ⌛ It’s time to end hunger and hardship.

Two million households in grip of 'severe' food insecurity, annual snapshot shows ==> this is not an accident. Australia is still a rich country. So where has our wealth gone? It has been stripped from us using finance smoke 'n mirrors driven by elitism that are older than Christianity. At its heart has been an attack on Australian values that have been sold to both sides of Australian politics, backed by our military, using an elite capture mechanism. The 2007 parliamentary constitutional coup over water rights is part of it (https://lnkd.in/gFckF77W). So are cover ups that date back to the Frontier Wars (https://lnkd.in/gEn6n6gj). These aren't just issues affecting Aboriginal peoples. They have harmed the interests in our national security of millions of everyday Australians. Part of the issue that Australians face is that the ex-military leader of the National Anti Corruption Commission, Major General (ret) Paul Brereton, appears to be fully engaged in a cover up. We've now seen it with the military role in Robodebt. And we've seen it with the NACC decision on Paladin. What's become clear is that elitists in Australia's military leadership do not share Australian values. We've seen that in the arguments they put forward to send military whistleblower David McBride to prison ... elitists in our military leadership do not consider themselves as having a duty to defend the public interests of everyday Australians. And they do not swear an oath to defend our constitutional rights to freedom from slavery (they do not defend the Australian Constitution). And that has become the basis for two insurrections by elitists in our military leadership against Australia's democracy - first against Gough Whitlam. Second, hidden during the War in Iraq, to overturn Australian' constitutional rights to freedom from slavery (Section 100, water rights). Source: ABC

Maybe not surprising, but certainly a frightening graphic showing that the majority of folks do not have an adequate emergency fund. If you are unsure about your current saving level or just don't know where to start, a strong financial plan can help! Give us a call to start the process #WealthManagement #financialplanning #HPA

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