It's time to Guarantee our Essentials!

On 18 June, Walton Charity were proud to join the Walton & Hersham Foodbank, alongside over 700 campaigners, at Westminster for Trussell’s Guarantee Our Essentials lobby day, urging MPs from across the UK to back a stronger social security system that ensures everyone can afford the basics.

We met with our MP for Esher and Walton, Monica Harding, to highlight the real impact the current Universal Credit system is having on local residents. Week after week, we see people at breaking point, people forced to choose between food, heating, or other essentials. Last year alone, 7,458 food parcels were distributed across Esher and Walton (Parcels by Postcode Tool, Trussell).

No one should need to rely on emergency food.

The event took place on the same day the UK government introduced its draft welfare reform bill, which is proposing cuts that could push 440,000 disabled people into severe hardship. We stood in solidarity with people experiencing poverty, fellow food bank volunteers, and campaign supporters like Nish Kumar, to call for urgent reform.

An Essentials Guarantee would ensure that Universal Credit always covers life’s essentials like food, housing, and energy. This aligns with our core mission of tackling poverty and supporting those most in need in our community.

You can find out more about the campaign here: https://www.trussell.org.uk/support-us/guarantee-our-essentials

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Article by Amy Dixon, Walton Charity’s Policy and Communications Officer