FOODBANK use in Bexhill has risen by 28 per cent during the school summer holidays after automatic supermarket vouchers for families receiving free school meals were withdrawn.
Bexhill and Battle Foodbanks, located on Station Road, says many of those seeking assistance have never needed to use a foodbank before, with parents reporting that they did not realise the holiday grocery vouchers were ending.
The increase has emerged just four weeks into the summer break, placing additional pressure on a charity which already has to purchase around half of all the food and essential items it distributes.
Michelle Pannell, Foodbank and Advice Service Manager at Bexhill and Battle Foodbanks, said demand could fluctuate from week to week and that it was still relatively early in the holiday period.
However, comparing an average week between May and the end of the school term with the first weeks of the summer holidays revealed a significant rise.
She said: “We have seen a 28 per cent increase in use. Many of the people we have seen have never used a foodbank before and they have mentioned that the school grocery vouchers being withdrawn has led them to use the foodbank.”
East Sussex County Council stopped automatically providing supermarket vouchers during the summer holidays to families whose children are eligible for free school meals following changes to the Government’s financial support arrangements.
The previous Household Support Fund was replaced by the Crisis and Resilience Fund. Under the new system, eligible families no longer automatically receive food vouchers during the holidays.
Instead, the council says assistance remains available to households facing immediate hardship through a broader programme intended to provide crisis help and improve families’ longer-term financial resilience.
Responding to the concerns raised in Bexhill, an East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “Support is available for any family in the county that needs it.”
The authority has said £7.3 million will be spent over the next year supporting East Sussex residents facing financial difficulties.
The programme includes debt advice, community food provision, more holiday clubs offering meals and help for households struggling to pay for essentials such as food and energy.
But foodbank staff say the way the change was communicated has caused difficulties, particularly for parents who had expected to receive the same assistance as in previous school holidays.
Mrs Pannell said the move to the new fund was not necessarily the problem in itself, but families had been left without enough warning to prepare for the loss of the automatic vouchers.
She said: “I don’t know where it has fallen down, but so many parents did not know the grocery vouchers were stopping. This lack of notice has been the biggest issue for many, as they could have planned differently.
“Of course, for some, this decrease in support has led to real issues and this is where we have been able to step in.”
Bexhill and Battle Foodbanks have received funding from the Trussell charity and a smaller amount through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, enabling them to provide some grocery vouchers to people who approach the organisation.
However, Mrs Pannell fears there will be other struggling households which have not sought assistance because they believe someone else is in greater need or because they feel ashamed about asking for help.
Families seeking crisis assistance are currently being directed to the Family Information Service telephone line, which operates between 10am and 3pm from Monday to Friday.
Mrs Pannell said parents had told the foodbank that the limited opening times made accessing help more difficult.
The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed that councils are permitted to use the Crisis and Resilience Fund to provide holiday vouchers to families with children receiving free school meals.
It said local authorities had discretion to design schemes reflecting the needs of their communities, including measures intended to prevent children from going hungry during school holidays.
East Sussex County Council leader Councillor Andy Woolley has previously defended the new approach, saying it would support households facing immediate financial hardship while also helping them build longer-term financial resilience.
Alongside the increase in demand, Bexhill and Battle Foodbanks is dealing with a long-term reduction in physical donations.
Mrs Pannell said donations had fallen substantially since the Covid pandemic, meaning the organisation now purchases around 50 per cent of all the food and other essentials it provides.
Financial contributions from residents and grant funding have therefore become increasingly important to its work.
The foodbank expects the annual harvest period to provide a much-needed increase in donations, but Mrs Pannell now spends a significant proportion of her time applying for grants and other funding.
The organisation’s work has also expanded beyond providing emergency food parcels.
It runs a financial capability advice service, community development projects and subsidised pantries. A new Wellbeing Hub is also expected to open next year, bringing different forms of assistance together and helping people address the underlying causes of financial hardship.
Mrs Pannell said the foodbank wanted people experiencing difficulties to know they would receive a warm and discreet welcome, without judgement.
She said: “If there was one message we could get everyone to understand, it is that we are well-stocked, discreet and friendly, and we take your dignity seriously.
“Everyone who steps through the door of the foodbank tells us they are relieved, as their troubles are shared and there is so much holistic help we can give.”
To contact Bexhill Foodbank visit: bexhill.foodbank.org.uk
