I met recently with the Trussell Trust, the charity that is behind the majority of food banks in the UK. We have one Trussell Trust food bank in Kidderminster, but we also have a second that works under its own initiative, and a third that provides hot meals for children in the school holidays, a time when families’ finances can be pushed beyond breaking point.

The causes behind the need for foodbanks can be complex and a report was compiled by a group of MPs a few years ago considering the causes of need. A significant component of demand was to do with personal circumstances – a family break up, a crisis brought about by an unexpected bill, a household breadwinner losing a job. The Trussell Trust has a guidance that any individual who visits the foodbank on more than three occasions in a year needs to get proper advice. It may be that, whilst each individual referral to the foodbank has its own individual merits, multiple visits reveal that the problem is more profound than each visit might suggest in its own right, and more considered help is needed to get an individual or household back on its feet.

There can be any number of reasons for need and, on occasions, changes in the benefits system can be to blame. A recipient of benefits, who is sanctioned because they have failed to meet their side of the bargain on numerous occasions, may find themselves without any choice but to visit a food bank. Similarly, someone moving to universal credit (UC) may not be fully aware of the help that goes with the transfer. Of course, it is only right that the government ensures that the objectives of UC and the process that delivers it meet the needs of the recipients. In helping people learn to budget as if they are in work, it is only right that the benefits system properly mimics the working environment. However, it can be the case that the delivery is at fault.

Because people are individuals and have individual problems, there will never be a one size fits all answer to problems. That is why my office in Kidderminster is on hand to be at the Kidderminster food bank within minutes if someone needs my help. We may not have the answer to every problem, but it is surprising how many problems can be sorted out with a telephone call, on behalf of a constituent, from an MP’s office.