Mark Lazarowicz MP highlights growth of Food Bank Britain
Mark Lazarowicz MP for Edinburgh North and Leith visited a ‘pop-up’ food bank outside the Houses of Parliament last week to draw attention to growing poverty and the reliance on food parcels in the UK. And this weekend, he has been collecting signatures in Leith for a Scottish Labour petition which he will be submitting to the House of Commons on the issue.
He said:-“Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are now forced to get support from food banks. Leith is the latest area where a food bank is being set up. I have enormous respect for the dedication of staff and volunteers who are helping through food banks to meet the growing need for food aid but that need is a clear sign of Government failure.
“The depressed state of the economy combined with cuts in welfare support have led many people, both in and out of work, to turn to food banks as a last resort. The growth of food banks is stark evidence of the failure of Government economic and employment policy.
“Food banks show just how much people in our community care for the most vulnerable but they shouldn’t have to be a substitute for Government action. That’s why I am supporting this petition, which calls for the government to ensure there is an accurate count of the number of people using food banks in Scotland and for Government action to ensure that no families in the UK go hungry.”
Mark has been closely involved with the issue in Edinburgh North and Leith. Before Christmas he took part in food collection drives at local supermarkets and he recently attended a meeting at South Leith Parish Church Halls to look at setting up a food bank in Leith.
Britain’s largest network of food banks, the Trussell Trust (which is involved in the proposal to set up a food bank in Leith), estimates that they will need to support in excess of 260,000 people over the next year.
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