Call for help as 227k helped by food banks in 2025
PA MediaA charity has called for greater action from the government to build "firmer foundations" for people on the lowest incomes, as hundreds of thousands of food parcels were issued to those in need.
Data from the Trussell Trust showed its food banks in the South West - which include Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire - handed out 227,735 emergency food parcels in 2025.
It said the figure was a 7% reduction compared to 2024, when the charity handed out 245,530 parcels.
Zoe Nixon, manager of Newquay Foodbank, said they had seen people everyday "struggling to get by". The government said despite the reduction, it was determined to do more.
The trust said the drop in parcel numbers compared to 2024 was "largely due to easing inflation".
Despite the reduction, the charity warned it had seen an increase of more than 50% since before the pandemic and cost of living crisis.
'Pushed to the brink'
Nixon said they wanted to see the government put better support systems in place for people who were struggling with the costs of essentials.
She said food banks were there to give support and emergency food, but were not a "long-term solution".
The trust said it wanted the government to:
- Lift the freeze on Local Housing Allowance and create a permanent link between rents and support
- Establish an independent process to advise on the minimum level of Universal Credit payments
Helen Barnard, director of policy and research at the trust, said the figures showed too many people in the region were "still being pushed to the brink".
"We need the UK government to continue to take meaningful and lasting action so all of us have what we need to get by. "
'Blight on country'
A government spokesperson said: "Food bank use is a blight on the country and although it has gone down since 2024, we are determined to do more.
"To help to support families with the cost of living, we have increased the National Living Wage, will take £150 off average energy bills, and are launching our £1bn multi-year Crisis and Resilience Fund to help prevent households falling into crisis in the first place.
"In addition to this, thanks to our decision to scrap the two-child limit and measures in our wider Child Poverty Strategy, we will lift 550,000 children out of poverty in the final year of this parliament - the largest reduction in child poverty since records began."
