It’s Challenge Poverty Week. Let’s make a stand against the inequality that causes so many in our community to suffer. We cannot continue to rely on already over-burdened charities to help the ever increasing number of people who cannot afford the basics. The current system is failing and only the government has the power to fix it. Join us in calling on our MPs to stand up for their constituents.

Write to your MP. You can use our template letter on the right (feel free to make changes), or write your own. Simply highlight and copy the text, then paste it into your own email.

Here are the MPs in our district:

Cat Smith (Lancaster): cat.smith.mp@parliament.uk

David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale): david.morris.mp@parliament.uk

Dear (insert MP)

End the need for food banks – charitable food aid is not the solution to financial hardship.

I am deeply concerned about the increasing need for charitable food aid in this area and across the UK. Over the last decade, increasing numbers of people have been pushed to the doors of food banks and other charitable food aid providers because they haven’t got enough money to buy food and other essentials. Since the cut to Universal Credit in October 2021 and the deepening cost of living crisis, the need for charitable food aid has steadily increased, reaching unprecedented levels.

People who were already unable to afford food are being hit the hardest by relentless rises in energy, food, and travel costs. 

No-one should have to turn to charity to feed themselves and their families. 

Food banks should not be relied upon as an integral part of the welfare system of the 6th richest country in the world.

As my parliamentary representative, I call on you to take urgent action to end the need for charitable food aid by ensuring everyone has enough income, from work and social security, to buy the essentials. The Government must introduce measures to share the wealth we produce as a society more equally, including :

  • introducing a real living income
  • fairer taxation
  • strengthened social safety nets prioritising adequate financial assistance
  • a right to healthy, sustainable and culturally appropriate food enshrined in law.

Yours sincerely