THE General Synod voted overwhelmingly on Monday for a diocesan synod motion from Sheffield which said that one in every of the biggest contributions to social welfare was church-run foodbanks.
The motion, introduced by the Archdeacon of Sheffield, the Ven. Malcolm Chamberlain (Sheffield), called on the House of Bishops “to urgently engage with HM Government to review the adequacy of current social security provision”.
Britain was not a poor nation incapable of caring for its most vulnerable residents, he said, and mass dependence on food emergency parcels was “an ethical scar on our society”.
He continued: “Poverty is causing an excessive amount of suffering and damage for us to easily accept it as an unavoidable inevitability despite the financial challenges. Public policy must go further upstream to deal with the foundation causes.
“In their election manifesto — now the premise for presidency policy — we read that Labour is committed to reviewing Universal Credit in order that it makes work pay and tackles poverty. So now we’ve got a singular opportunity to work with this latest government to make this commitment a reality.”
He recounted the sobering experience of visiting a church-run food- and clothing-bank. It was operating from a humid basement in a housing block on one in every of Sheffield’s most economically deprived housing estates. People were queuing within the wind and rain for the fundamental necessities, he said, which were being crammed into every available space.
“We can and we must do higher as a nation. These church-run initiatives are indeed excellent news, but surely the very indisputable fact that they’re needed is nothing wanting a scandal.”
Stark figures from the Trussell Trust and others showed the extent of foodbank use: the overall variety of emergency food parcels issued last yr is estimated to be near six million. The Children’s Society expected the number of youngsters living in poverty within the UK to achieve five million this yr.
“The current level of 4.3 million implies that a mean of nine children in every school class of 30 reside in poverty, with the associated health problems, lack of opportunity, and increased vulnerability to exploitation from criminal gangs,” Archdeacon Chamberlain said.
Many of the contributors to the controversy were practitioners running foodbanks, family support, or homelessness charities. Robin Lunn (Worcester) said: “The real overriding issue is that, for therefore many, work doesn’t pay enough. Economic growth should create conditions to enhance profit payments.”
Years of experience of the Micah Project — the ecumenical and interfaith foodbank established by the Liverpool cathedrals — showed the “ever-widening gap between what was available in welfare support and what was needed”, Nadine Daniel (Liverpool) said on Zoom.
The Bishop of Sheffield, the Rt Revd Pete Wilcox, longed for the day when foodbanks were now not needed. “I’m restless concerning the continuing need for them,” he said. “We value them because we’ve got people utterly depending on them, but ongoing dependence shouldn’t be what we’d like to create.”
The Revd Claire McArthur (Coventry) said that the town’s foodbanks had fed 18,000 people within the previous yr, and church-based initiatives included clothing-rails in the town centre. Rent increases, food hikes, and utility bills had all resulted in messages from desperate people, saying: “I even have nothing. Can your church help me?”
Sandra Turner (Chelmsford) moved an amendment so as to add a clause acknowledging that “true and lasting societal transformation comes from lives transformed by the gospel; that our First Mark of Mission underpins every part we do in mission; to welcome its call to proclaim the excellent news of Jesus Christ to everyone in our society”.
It was not supported by the Archdeacon, who said that, while it had laudable intent, it risked diluting the impact of the motion. The amendment was lost.
The Revd Mae Christie (Southwark), via Zoom, moved the primary of two amendments, intended to “give teeth” to the fundamental motion: so as to add a paragraph acknowledging a preponderance of sick and disabled people amongst foodbank users, who found it “nearly not possible” to navigate the advantages system and be supported adequately. She desired to “call attention to the truth of foodbank users as real hurting humans”.
The Revd Jonathan Macy (Southwark) said: “You must name an issue to have it solved.” More than half of households with a disabled person in them were below the poverty line, he said, speaking of “a vortex where individuals with disabilities are over-concentrated in areas of poverty. Churches with the bottom resources are working with the best and most complex needs. What they do on a shoestring is staggering.”
Other speeches in support got here from the Revd Andrew Mumby (Southwark) on the grounds that it named the issue for “vulnerable people worn out with the system”; Fiona Macmillan (London), on the experience of accessing allowances; and Michaela Suckling (Sheffield), on the impact of food insecurity on each mental and physical health, which she said increased the chance of chronic disease and diabetes.
The amendment was carried.
The Revd Chantal Noppen (Durham) then moved an amendment which called for the introduction of the Essentials Guarantee (News, 29 February), which might tie the speed of advantages to the associated fee of basic essentials. “The impact of the cost-of-living crisis is solely not experienced evenly,” she said. “The guarantee is an extra step towards acknowledging we care, and that everybody must have the identical opportunity to flourish. . . Those with resources proceed to get and receive more. We ought to be offering abundance, the larger picture, and addressing why persons are hungry. Let’s seek not only equality, but an equitable society. This would move us closer to the loving, generous care the Church should uphold.”
The Bishop of Manchester, Dr David Walker, supported the guarantee wholeheartedly, and had asked questions in Parliament about it. “It beggars belief but, for therefore a few years, we’ve seen efforts to alleviate poverty not based on reality,” he said, naming one example as “inexpensive” rents set at 80 per cent of the market value. “Keep on raising the advantages level based on what it actually costs to live on this country,” he urged.
The Revd Dr Sarah Batts-Neale (Chelmsford), who ran a debt centre in Colchester, said that her client base had modified completely. She had seen the extent of debt increasing, and said: “You can’t make a straightforward budget in case you don’t know what your income goes to be. An Essentials Guarantee would go a protracted technique to helping clients with unsustainable debt on account of low income.”
Canon Katrina Scott (Gloucester) said that poverty was a problem that faced by communities across the entire Church. She made reference to the Hidden Hardship report from Coventry University, which that found 17 per cent of rural households in England were experiencing poverty.
The Revd Eleanor Robertshaw (Sheffield) desired to speak about periods: “There are women in our society who can’t afford sanitary protection. It is an absolute scandal,” she said. “We ought to be so ashamed that this is going on in our society. Call on the Government to be sure that women should not have to beg for a human right.”
The amendment was carried. Another amendment moved by Ms Christie was also carried. It called on the Lords Spiritual to encourage the brand new Government to finish to the two-child profit limit, which “disadvantages families and forces large numbers of youngsters into using foodbanks or to otherwise go hungry”.
The Bishop of Newcastle, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, described the amendment as “giving an even bigger drumstick to the Lords Spiritual”. The Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Revd Stephen Conway, reminded Synod of the tireless work done by the previous Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, in fighting for the cap to be lifted.
Robin Hall (Europe) said: “I hope the Lords Spiritual will proceed to robustly tackle this one.”
Penny Allen (Lichfield) had spent her working life in schools. She described the image today: some schools with only 78-per-cent attendance, “partly on account of poverty, inadequate food and sleeping arrangements”; teachers funding breakfast clubs; children falling asleep within the afternoon and others needing to sit down down in PE; some stealing food from shops and from other children at college; and schools now washing children’s clothes. “If all of us work together in civil society, we can have more effect,” she said. “Ask your local councils whether or not they’re supporting the foodbanks. Mine has paid for meals at £1 per child within the local pub or café.”
The amendment was carried.
In the ultimate speeches, Catherine Butcher (Chichester) urged churches to not charge the Trussell Trust to be used of their premises.
Martin Auton-Lloyd (Chichester) believed that increasing advantages was only the beginning for what he described as “the chaotic families” who lacked social support. “There are many fundamental systems to be addressed,” he said.
The Revd Dr Ben Sargent (Winchester) praised the work of Fareshare in his area of the New Forest. Denis Tully (Southwell & Nottingham), chief executive of a homelessness charity, said that essentially the most vulnerable people struggled to access the welfare system in any respect. Its shortcomings encompassed systemic issues, which exaggerated vulnerability. “The system may be lengthy and bureaucratic, leaving individuals with no access to financial reserves, leading them to foodbanks or loan-sharks,” he said. “Without support, a system can punish you. To access advantages, you would like access to a pc or smart phone.”
Synod voted for the motion, as amended: 274 in favour, one against, with no abstentions:
That this Synod, mindful that the Fourth Mark of Mission of the Anglican Communion is to “transform unjust structures of society”,
- note the key contribution to social welfare being made by the churches and others in the supply of food banks
- note with concern that levels of dependence on food banks have been increasing and that inflation is making the situation even worse
- note further that 2/3 of those that use food banks have disabilities or long run health conditions, who find it nearly not possible to navigate the advantages system and be supported adequately, and so applaud the incredible ministry and example of those churches and others who tirelessly run food banks, whilst lamenting and acknowledging the incredible personal and financial cost to this, which is driving some organisations to breaking point
- consider that this dependence reflects serious inadequacies within the social security system
- note that the Trussell Trust has said: ‘we stand on the sting of a precipice with a transparent decision to make: either we accept food banks as a ‘latest normal’ or we work to create a more dignified, compassionate and humane society where everyone has enough money for essentials
- welcome the Chancellor’s intervention to assist the least well off households with their energy bills but note this may not remove the issue of increased dependency on food banks
- call on the House of Bishops to urgently engage with HM Government, particularly the Secretary of State, to press it to review the adequacy of current social security provision, and consider the feasibility of introducing an Essentials Guarantee
- believing that all children are a present from God and bear the image of Christ, urge the House of Bishops and particularly the Lords Spiritual, to make use of every opportunity available to them to interact with the brand new Government and strongly encourage them to do every part possible to bring about an instantaneous end to the 2 child profit limit, which disadvantages families and forces large numbers of youngsters into using food banks or to otherwise go hungry.
