The new PM must realise that only the government has the resources to end the suffering caused by the cost of living crisis
Not only are the country’s poor people now stretched beyond their limits, but so too are the country’s charities. Just as many breadwinners are finding it difficult to pay for bread, so there are now food banks fearful of running out of food.
Preparing for a winter wave of unprecedented need, our voluntary sector is having to be innovative – and fast. Faced with rising deprivation in the local community where I was brought up, the family centre I volunteer at has pioneered the bank of banks: a food bank, bedding bank, clothes bank, toiletries bank, home furnishings bank, hygiene bank and baby bank, all rolled into one. In just eight months, it has grown from being one of the county’s smallest charities, with a turnover of £500,000 a year and 30 staff, to among the largest, with a £5m turnover in goods. Benefiting from a unique agreement to receive surplus items donated by the local Amazon warehouse and backed up by the Co-op, Scotmid and 12 local firms, it is now working with 500 nearby organisations – charities, food banks, schools, health centres and social work teams – which have been able to provide 35,000 Fife families with 230,000 goods, from tinned food, nappies, toilet rolls and children’s clothes to duvets, kettles, microwaves and beds.
Gordon Brown was UK prime minister from 2007 to 2010
