The number of food bank parcels given to children in Buckinghamshire has increased by more than three times since before the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show. According to Buckinghamshire Live, the latest statistics from the Trussel Trust reveal an increasing reliance on food banks by families year-on-year.
A total of 8,152 food parcels were given to children across the county from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. This compared to 8,007 over the previous 12 months, according data provided by the Trussell Trust.
The charity, which works to end the need for food banks, said it means there has been an increase of 266 per cent compared to 2018/2019. The number of adults given food parcels has also risen over the last few years, as has the number of distribution centres.
Helen Barnard, Director of Policy at the Trussell Trust, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It is extremely alarming to see the ongoing rise in the number of emergency food parcels across Buckinghamshire. An increasing number of children across the UK are growing up in families facing hunger, having to turn to food banks to survive.
“A generation is growing up believing that it’s normal to see a food bank in every community in our country. This is not right.”
The number of food parcels distributed across South East England as a whole also increased by around 90,000 to 349,400 in 2022/23 compared with the previous 12-month period. There has also been a marked increase in total food parcels distributed across the UK over the last few years, with nearly 3 million being given out in 2022/23.
The data – which only includes the first three months of 2023 – has been released following consecutive monthly decreases in the rate of food price inflation. Wages have also risen more than inflation on goods – including food and energy – at their fastest pace for two years.
Arif Hussain, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities acknowledged a national increase in food bank use but told the LDRS that Buckinghamshire has a lower rate of food bank use compared to similar-sized regions. He said: “The Trussell Trust figures quoted here for Buckinghamshire will likely include numbers from Milton Keynes and some other neighbouring authorities, so they do not necessarily equate to Buckinghamshire residents alone.
“Buckinghamshire is the fifth largest local authority in the country and when compared to figures for other local authorities of the same size, Buckinghamshire’s figures are lower, but it is true to say that all areas are seeing demand at an all-time high.”
