One in three food bank users in Wales work

Local TV

The Trussel Trust have called on the Welsh government to do more to help struggling households across Wales, as more than half a million people went hungry in 2024.

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00:00More than half a million people in Wales faced hunger last year, with growing numbers of

00:06working families now relying on food banks. That's according to a new report from the

00:11Trussell Trust which estimates that in 2024, over 660,000 people in Wales couldn't afford

00:17to eat – that's more than the combined populations of Cardiff and Swansea.

00:23The charity says hunger is becoming normalised, with households forced to go without essentials

00:27like food and heating. Shockingly nearly a third of people referred to food banks are

00:31in work, showing that paid employment no longer protects people from hardship.

00:37The report also reveals that on average, people using food banks in Wales had just £89 a week

00:42left after housing costs, compared to the Welsh average of £566. Many of them are already

00:48claiming universal credit to top up their income.

00:53Certain groups are particularly vulnerable. Single parents make up just 3% of households

00:57in Wales, but nearly 1 in 5 of those households relied on food banks, and the Trussell Trust

01:02warns this is only the tip of the iceberg, as many families in need still don't access

01:06charitable food.

01:10The charity is now calling on both the UK and particularly the Welsh Government to take action,

01:15including implementing a Welsh Child Payment to make sure families with children are able

01:20to afford the essentials, expanding free-scored meals to all secondary age children, and making

01:25Welsh benefits easier to access and navigate online.

01:30Ahead of the next Senate elections in 2026, they say all parties must commit to ending the

01:35need for food banks in Wales, warning that the crisis simply cannot be accepted as the new

01:40normal.

01:41Ian Peach Watkins, reporting for Local TV.

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