Church-run foodbank concerned over changes to benefit system

The organiser of a church-run foodbank has spoken of his concern over the impact of changes to incapacity benefits on Welsh communities.

Adrian Curtis, Regional Development Officer for Wales at the Trussell Trust, said that a re-evaluation of incapacity benefits could see an increase in the number of families in Wales turning to foodbanks in order to survive.

Around 50,000 people are expected to be moved from incapacity benefits to Job Seekers Allowance. It can take weeks for a new benefit claim to be processed and foodbanks are stocking their shelves in case those formerly on incapacity benefits suddenly find themselves unable to make ends meet.

Curtis runs a foodbank out of his church, Festival Church, in the town of Ebbw Vale, in Blaenau Gwent.

The foodbank offers emergency food to families and individuals facing a short-term crisis, like redundancy, illness, debt or domestic violence.

Curtis told of one client to the foodbank who had been taken off incapacity benefit because medical tests on elements of her diabetes and other health complications had proved inconclusive.

Although she challenged the decision before a tribunal and won, it took nearly a month before the benefit came through, forcing her to rely on the Ebbw Vale foodbank for food.

Curtis fears poor people will be worst hit by changes to the benefit system.

“In Wales, four out of the top six boroughs with the highest numbers of incapacity benefit claimants are also in the top six with the highest proportion of Job Seekers Allowance claimants per available job,” he said.

“Moving people off incapacity benefit will not necessarily move people away from benefit dependency as job opportunities are not available in these areas.”

He called on the Welsh Assembly Government to support closer cooperation between the public services and third sector to ensure that charities receive the support they need to help people in crisis.

He said: “We can help government departments to ensure that people being re-assessed are appropriately supported and do not find themselves forced into situations that are very damaging in the long-term and expensive for society.”