Ministers must stop ignoring the growth of food banks

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/dec/19/ministers-growth-food-banks

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It is with consternation that we have learnt of the government's decision to block EU funds for food banks and homeless shelters (Report, 18 December), based on the principle of subsidiarity. As churches which are at the forefront of delivering food aid to growing numbers of people across the UK, we believe it is inconsistent for the government to point to our work as a prime example of the "big society" at work, while opposing EU funding to support this vital service. In our view, subsidiarity must always be balanced with the Gospel value of solidarity.

At this Christmas time, as we once more reflect on God's loving solidarity with suffering humanity in the person of Jesus Christ, we are reminded that as members of the one human family, we have mutual obligations to promote the rights and development of peoples across communities and nations. Solidarity is the fundamental bond of unity with our fellow human beings and the resulting interdependence. All are responsible for all; and in particular the rich have responsibilities towards the poor. National and international structures must reflect this!'1We therefore call upon the government to rethink its decision to reject funding, to ensure that not only are people helped into sustainable work (which we agree is the best long-term solution for human flourishing), but that as a caring society we are able to continue providing food aid and other essential services to those who find themselves in extremity in the midst of abundance this Christmas and throughout the coming year. Rev Michael Heaney Moderator, Free Churches Group and general secretary, Congregational Federation, Rev Lynn Green General secretary, Baptist Union of Great Britain, Rev Peter Thomas General secretary, Baptist Union of Wales, Rev Trevor Howard General secretary, Churches in Community International, Rev Christopher Whiteley General secretary, Old Baptist Union, Rev Dr Geraint Tudur General secretary, Union of Welsh Independents

• This news comes in the same week we found out the government has sought to block EU regulations aimed at ending food speculation by the banking sector – a practice that prices food beyond the reach of many low-income households. In London alone, 42,000 people relied on a food bank to feed themselves during the last financial year (2012-13), compared with 408 in 2009-10. This should be an embarrassment for the government of one of the world's wealthiest countries, yet instead they have remained wilfully ignorant of the crisis of food poverty. The prime minister and his Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, have both refused to visit food banks.

There is a serious danger that without immediate action to address poverty in the UK, we could sleepwalk into a system similar to the US, where food banks are seen as a formal part of the welfare state. This would represent a catastrophic failure of government policy. Fiona Twycross AM Labour, London assembly; author, A Zero Hunger City: Tackling food poverty in London'

• Richard Howitt MEP suggests the government has wilfully rejected EU money. This is simply untrue. What both the government and Conservative MEPs have opposed is an attempt by Mr Howitt and his Labour colleagues to let the EU dictate to Britain how we spend £22m of our own money. Any EU cash handed over for this scheme would have been deducted from other so-called structural funds already earmarked for the UK. We rejected this because we believe Britain should decide how it spends its own money – not Brussels. Anthea McIntyre MEP Conservative, West Midlands

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