More than 100,000 emergency food parcels given out

An anti-poverty charity handed out 106,910 emergency food parcels to people in Yorkshire in the last six months, and more than a third were for children.

The Trussell Trust said although the overall figure was down by 6% compared with the same period last year, it was a 122% increase compared with 2019.

Its chief executive Emma Revie, said the number of people in the region "facing hunger and hardship is heartbreaking".

The government said the "mass dependence" on food bands was "unacceptable".

"Our food banks are a lifeline, offering a warm welcome and space to be heard," she said.

"They need everyone to play their part to move us towards ending the need for emergency food in Yorkshire and the Humber."

The trust said that one in five people receiving parcels were using food banks for the first time and 37,246 of the parcels it handed out were for children.

It said that although usage had declined since the cost of living crisis in 2022, the use of emergency food parcels "tends to reflect long term hunger and hardship where people have nowhere else to turn".

Ms Revie said the government had made "promising steps", however she added there needed to be "a clearer plan with more decisive action to invest in our social security system, if we are to end hunger once and for all."

A government spokesperson said it was increasing the National Living Wage and Universal Credit payments and introducing a cap on benefit repayments.

“The mass dependence on food banks is unacceptable," they added.

"That’s why we will fix the fundamentals of the social security system and make work pay so people don’t rely on crisis support and become more financially secure."

The Department for Work and Pensions claimed about 700,000 of the poorest families with children would benefit as a result of the changes.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.