IN his letter (HAS, Oct 10) John Walker says foodbanks are the result of Labour policies.

I’m no mathematician but when Labour lost power in 2010 there were just 41,000 food bank users. Today it’s over 1.2m.

We all remember David Cameron’s Big Society which set the austerity ball rolling. Communities stripped of vital cash and welfare support all but annihilated.

Austerity was now government policy.

Foodbanks are being used as a replacement to the welfare state. The Conservative government must surely shoulder the blame. Though I did agree with the writer’s comments that the welfare system is not efficient enough, particularly under Universal Credit. This benefit does little more than punish and police claimants.

Stephen Dixon, Redcar