MP warns growth of foodbanks marks return to workhouse culture

John Battle

Former Leeds MP and chair of the Leeds Justice and Peace Commission John Battle has claimed that the institutionalisation of foodbanks is another step back toward the poor law and workhouse of the 19th century - Catholic journalist Paul Donovan reports in his blog today.

The former MP claimed that the parcelling out of food in the way that is happening in the UK today “marks a move back to the poor law and ends at the workhouse.”

The Church-backed Trussell Trust, which runs the foodbank network, has just published figures showing that 913,000 people went to foodbanks in the last 12 months.

Mr Battle warned against the institutionalisation of foodbanks as has happened in Canada over the past 30 years. He warned that in Canada foodbanks have grown, with supermarkets becoming involved. “Foodbanks have become institutionalised as an alternative to the welfare state, “ said Mr Battle, who decried how the supermarkets have become involved using support of foodbanks as a way to do a bit of charitable conscience salving.

Read on here: www.paulfdonovan.blogspot.co.uk/