Foodbank figures reveal reality of austerity


Robert McArdle , Coventry East Socialist Party

In a survey of Coventry Foodbank service users by Warwick University, 62.7% said their weekly household income was less than £100 a week. 72.5% of the users said they had skipped eight meals in the last four weeks. 45.1% admitted that they had stolen to feed their family before getting help from the Foodbank.

The Coventry Telegraph (20 February) highlighted the survey as it reported: “A break-down of recipients’ backgrounds also showed most, 84.3%, of the beneficiaries were born in the UK and of those, 53.5% were Coventry-born.”

“Delays and changes to benefits were the single biggest factor Coventry Foodbank users cited for using the service (44%)”. This was closely followed, also on 44%, by people saying low income was the main factor driving them into poverty.

Austerity is condemning more people into the humiliating situation where they need to use food banks in order to survive.

Capitalism fails to find the solution because it is the cause – we need a socialist society run for the needs of the masses, based on democratic planned production.