ARE FOODBANKS AN ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS OF POVERTY IN THE UK? We hear from two bishops who are involved at the heart of efforts to help those most in need Bishop of Colchester, Roger Morris ‘I long for the day when foodbanks have ceased to exist. That is not to take anything away from the staff and volunteers; they do a superb job. However, they are not a long-term solution. They identify the gaps in safety nets in our community life. It points the finger of judgement at the rest of us – it should not happen in a country like ours, that those who are destitute or in poverty should have to rely on hand outs. ‘When I was appointed Bishop of Colchester, I also become a patron of the town’s foodbank. It is a useful barometer which helps me to understand what is going on for people. Increasing numbers of children and families are being forced into poverty.
Taking action
‘2020 was the year that child poverty was supposed to be ended in the UK. Some of the measures identified at the time of Every Child Matters in 2003 point the way to action we could be taking now. Now there are rising numbers of people using foodbanks. ‘There are things we can do immediately. For example, locking in the £20 addition to Universal Credit* to give people that guaranteed income.
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We could get rid of the two child benefit limit. For example, in Essex, the biggest recent rise in unemployment is in Great Dunmow, triggered by job losses at Stansted Airport. Should those people really have thought, two or three years ago, that they shouldn’t have had another child in case they became unemployed? It is utterly wrong to penalise people in that way. ‘Similarly we could raise the Child Benefit element of Universal Credit to better support families and children. All primary school children whose parents are on any kind of benefit should have free school meals. Hats off to Marcus Rashford, he has done an amazing job. ‘We have an education system which perpetuates inequality; it needs root and branch reform. More affluent and articulate parents either fund education for their children privately or pay for tutoring so their children can pass exams and entrance tests – they are better placed to win appeals, or can travel further to schools with better outcomes. Children from poorer homes start out behind in the race and they never make up that distance. ‘This is where the Church can get involved: we have a massive stake in the education system. ‘We could learn from the Oasis Trust, which has set up and run academies in the toughest and most deprived areas of the UK. We should be having high-level meetings with them.’ The Right Reverend Roger Morris studied Theology at Trinity College Cambridge. He has been in ordained ministry since 1993 and has been Suffragan Bishop of Colchester in the Diocese of Chelmsford since 2014. www.mothersunion.org
