Get emergency foodHow to get the most from candidate conversations
Use our tips to prepare for meaningful chats with election candidates.
By raising your priorities and expectations for the next Scottish and Welsh Governments when talking to candidates, you can help shape a better future for your community.
Here are some key pointers for making the most of your time when talking to local political representatives.
If you are a Trussell supporter:
If you are part of the Trussell food bank community:
How to talk about our Welsh manifesto
When speaking to political candidates in Wales, here are some things you might want to share when talking about the changes we want the next Welsh government to make.
Set an ambition to end the need for food banks in Wales.
Charitable food provision is becoming normalised in communities across Wales. While food banks, and other types of food support, can provide a temporary lifeline, they are not the long-term solution. The Welsh Government must commit to tackling the underlying causes of hunger and hardship – with an action plan that will not just end hunger today, but for good.
Sustain and increase access to cash-first crisis support and advice.
Cash-based support, like the Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF), helps people cope with unexpected life events and financial emergencies. The Welsh Government must ensure that everyone applying for DAF is offered access to local advice and support services – preventing a short-term crisis becoming long-term hardship, and fewer people needing to turn to a food bank.
Use all devolved powers to boost incomes and reduce child poverty in Wales.
Food bank need is driven by low incomes, and problems with the social security system. While most responsibility for social security sits with UK Government, Welsh Government needs to use all its devolved powers to ensure incomes cover essential costs, with targeted interventions – like a Welsh Child Payment scheme, Free School Meals, and wider access to childcare support – for families with children receiving Universal Credit, or on low incomes.
Ensure everyone has a safe, secure home.
Housing is a key problem for people needing support from food banks. Issues with housing often result in homelessness. The Welsh Government must ensure everyone has an affordable, secure home – by improving the quality and safety of temporary accommodation, increasing the number of social homes, and calling on UK Government to unfreeze the Local Housing Allowance, to remove the shortfall between private rental costs and social security support.
Build connected and supportive communities.
We need better local support in the community, to improve access to services that help people back on their feet and reduce isolation. That includes funding for targeted, high-quality support and advice (on things like money matters, housing, and mental health), embedding the Welsh Benefits Charter to improve local access to social security support, and more accessible public transport.
For more details, please see our full manifesto for Wales.
How to talk about our Scottish manifesto
When speaking to political candidates in Scotland, here are some things you might want to share when talking about the changes we want the next Scottish Government to make.
Create a supportive social security system ensuring everyone can afford the essentials.
Investment in social security ensures a fairer future – and it is vital to Scotland’s economic success. The Scottish Parliament holds significant powers to increase incomes through social security – including by making it easier for people to access support, developing a Minimum Income Guarantee, reviewing Adult Disability Payment, reforming delivery of Scottish Child Payment, and increasing investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund.
Invest in holistic, tailored advice, accessible for people experiencing hunger and hardship.
Ensuring people facing hardship can get the targeted advice and support they need – at the right time – is essential to reducing food bank need. The Scottish Government should invest in services offering accessible advice (including advice and support that unlocks money and services someone should be getting) in communities, healthcare settings and schools, championing collaboration between advice partners and local councils to ensure a “no-wrong” door approach in every community.
Ensure everyone in Scotland has a safe, secure, and affordable home.
Ending the need for food banks means ending the housing emergency. There are simply not enough affordable homes being built. Too many people are unable to pay their rent due to low incomes, or are living in overcrowded, insecure, and unsafe homes. The Scottish Government must commit to building enough new social homes over the next parliament to meet the need for affordable housing and end the scandal of so many children growing up in temporary accommodation. In the long-term, they must commit to ending homelessness in Scotland.
Deliver better and more dignified support for people with disabilities and health conditions.
Our social security system must ensure dignified support for people with disabilities and health conditions – who are at increased risk of needing to use a food bank. The Scottish Government needs to increase Scottish Adult Disability Payment, acknowledging disabled people’s higher costs and barriers to accessing work – as well as increasing investment in and access to community-based, preventative mental health and addiction support.
Create an updated action plan to end to the need for food banks in Scotland.
The Scottish Government must commit to delivering the next phase of its action plan to end the need for food banks, with an updated plan in its first year (developed alongside the food aid sector and people with lived experience of food insecurity).
For more details, please see our full manifesto for Scotland.
