BENEFIT reforms, low wages, fuel costs and spiralling debts are leaving people hungry and driving the country deeper into poverty, experts said today.

Members of the All Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Hunger and Food Poverty held a meeting in South Shields today (July 4) as part of their bid to gather evidence about the extent and causes of hunger in Britain.

The impact of food poverty on the North-East was discussed at length by a host of experts from across the region.

Representatives from foodbanks, voluntary organisations and statutory bodies addressed a panel co-chaired by Frank Field MP and The Right Reverend Tim Thornton, Bishop of Truro.

Foodbanks in the region feed thousands of people every week, with the majority struggling to cope with benefit reforms and sanctions, according to speakers.

Evidence suggested that sky-high fuel costs, zero wage contracts, low wages and high rates of unemployment contribute to spiralling food poverty - while a lack of basic cooking skills leave many unable to prepare nutritious meals on a tight budget.

Peter MacLellan, director of the County Durham Foodbank said: “We help 1,300 people a month and the biggest reason they come to us is because of issues with benefits – the system is not working well.

“People don’t want to be on benefits or coming to foodbanks yet they’re being stigmatised and told they’re people we have to be wary of and have to control, rather than people who need support.”

The Bishop of Jarrow, the Rt Revd Mark Bryant said: “The broader picture is that the people who are least able and most disadvantaged seem to be the people for whom life is made more and more complicated.

“It cannot be right that people are in poverty and we have to ask serious questions about whether this is the kind of country we want to live in and whether it’s organised in the way we want.”

Issues raised at the conference will be considered as part of a report to be prepared by the Inquiry team.

Labour MP Frank Field said: “The message is consistent across the country. We have problems with benefits, low wages and people working hard and not getting a good standard of living.

“Clearly wage levels are inadequate and clearly the Department of Work and Pensions cannot perform properly.

“The situation doesn’t surprise me but I’m shocked at how quickly it has overtaken us.”