A RECORD number of food parcels were handed out by a charity in York over the last year, new figures show.

And an anti-poverty charity in the city said this data should "shake politicians to their core".

The figures from the Trussell Trust show 9,521 food parcels were handed out in York in the year to March in the area's eight distribution centres – more than double the 5,543 in 2021/22.

This was the highest number of parcels provided in the area since at least 2017/18.

Last year 4,092 of these parcels were given to children. In 2021/22 this figure was 2,328

Katie Schmuecker, principal policy advisor at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), an anti-poverty charity in York, said: “This new report from the Trussell Trust should shake politicians to their core. The sheer scale of the number of parcels being handed out is clearly unsustainable. Hunger on this scale isn’t normally associated with a society in peacetime.

“Anyone can lose their job, need to care for a sick relative or break up with their partner and find themselves in need of some help to get back on their feet. This is what Universal Credit should be for, but food banks are currently making up for its failings.

“A key driver behind more food parcels being handed out is that Universal Credit - our system for supporting people in hard times is, for the vast majority, simply not providing enough to cover the cost of core essentials like food, hygiene products or electricity. In many cases, levels of support are being pulled far below what is needed to cover the essentials.

York Press: The JRF said these figures should worry politiciansThe JRF said these figures should worry politicians (Image: Supplied)

“The solution to growing hunger isn’t more food banks. It’s a time for the Essentials Guarantee - a needs-tested social security system, one in which the support people receive is actually linked to the real-world costs of essentials."

Across the UK, a total of 2,986,203 emergency food parcels were given out between April 2022 and March this year – up 37 per cent on the year before.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, 200,562 parcels were handed out in the year to March – up 28 per cent from 156,208 the year before.

These figures cover parcels handed out by the Trussell Trust itself, but do not include emergency food supplies provided by other charities and organisations.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said it is "committed" to eradicating poverty.

They said: "We recognise the pressures of the rising cost of living, which is why we have uprated benefits by 10.1 per cent as well as making an unprecedented increase to the National Living Wage this month.

“This is on top of changes already made to Universal Credit which mean claimants can keep more of their hard-earned money – a boost worth £1,000 a year on average."

“We are also providing record levels of direct financial support for the most vulnerable."