Over the past few years we have seen a massive increase in food banks, the Government have persistently refused to accept the links between sanctions and welfare changes and the increase. Benefit payments can be imposed between four weeks and three years if claimants break rules such as missing appointments or deciding not to take a job they are offered, and many other reasons, which have been shown to be unfair and unjust. Evidence from Trussell Trust foodbanks: Case studies https://www.trusselltrust.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/01/Trussell-Trust-Sanctions-Evidence-Submission.pdf The latest set of Trussell Trust annual figures showed that in 2015-16, its 424 food banks gave out enough emergency food to feed more than 1.1 million people, a year-on-year rise of 2% and up from 61,000 in 2010-11. It warned that reliance on charity food was in danger of becoming “the new normal” for low income families in financial crisis. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/oct/27/benefit-sanctions-food-banks-oxford-university-study A separate report by the All Party Parliamentary Group suggested the true scale of hunger in the UK could be far greater, as more than half of emergency food is supplied by independent food banks and other organisations not covered by the Trussell Trust’s figures. The Department for Work and Pensions dismissed the findings as “misleading”. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/benefit-sanctions-food-bank-use-link-study-linked-trussell-trust-oxford-university-benefits-rachel-a7382476.html TheTrussell Trust is calling on the public to help families facing hunger this Christmas as foodbanks busiest month of the year begins. https://www.trusselltrust.org/2016/12/02/foodbanks-brace-busiest-month-christmas-approaches/ On the 9th December, the Mirror, Unite the Union and the Trussell Trust held a pop-up ‘Hope not Hunger’ foodbank outside Parliament to highlight the fact that 120,000 families face going hungry this Christmas alone. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mps-donate-hope-not-hunger-9412093 Foodbanks are the lifeline to so many, kept going by the generosity and donations of the local people. Two days ago I helped in the Stevenage Community food bank, mine and David’s y home town, where we handed out 30 food parcels. Following the scathing report on Benefit Sanctions from the Government's own National Audit Office there was a formal Inquiry by the powerful all party Public Accounts Committee on the 12th December. I along with many others, presented a detailed evidence dossier to PAC and attended the hearing, and will update you on its findings in due course. Thanks to the overwhelming support we have raised over £11,000 with a stretch target of £20,000 which we are hoping to achieve to help make a difference to the many still suffering. I would be most grateful if you could share this page and if you are able to pledge once again to help us hit the target. See link below https://www.crowdjustice.co.uk/case/david-clapson – we couldn’t do it without your help! A big, big thank you. Gill gill.a4u@outlook.com