Strong link between increased benefit sanctions and higher foodbank use

The researchers found that for every 10 additional sanctions applied in each quarter of the year, on average five more adults would be referred to foodbanks in the area. There is a 'strong, dynamic' relationship between people having their benefits stopped and an increase in referral to foodbanks, new research has found. Researchers from the University of Oxford analysed foodbank data from across 259 local authorities between 2012 and 2015 and found that as the rate of sanctioning increased within local authorities, the rate of foodbank use also increased. Even after accounting for differences between local authorities, the researchers' modelling showed that for every 10 additional sanctions applied in each quarter of the year, on average five more adults would be referred to foodbanks in the area. As sanctioning decreased, foodbank use also decreased, which the report suggests is evidence of a strong link between sanctioning and people not having enough money to meet basic needs. The researchers used foodbank data from the Trussell Trust, the only source of routinely collected surveillance for the past decade. Dr Rachel Loopstra from Oxford University's Department of Sociology, the paper's lead author, said: 'These findings show clear evidence of sanctions being linked to economic hardship and hunger, as we see a close relationship between sanctioning rates and rates of foodbank usage across local authorities in the UK.' - These findings show clear evidence of sanctions being linked to economic hardship and hunger.