Food bank facing 'crisis level' demand as school holidays begin warns Dewsbury councillor

Tanisha Bramwell, one of the ward members for Dewsbury West and founder of Bramwell’s Hope – a charity running several community programmes and a food bank – has spoken of the gravity of the situation.

“This summer has been the busiest we’ve experienced in years and quite frankly, it’s frightening,” she said.

“Typically, our highest demand comes between September and January – when colder weather, rising energy bills, and Christmas pressures push struggling families to the edge.

"But this year, we’re seeing crisis level demand right at the start of the summer holidays.

“The reality is, food banks like ours are operating hand to mouth. We’re not stockpiling, we’re surviving week by week, just like the people we support.

“We’re seeing a sharp increase in working families needing help, people in employment, doing their best, who simply can’t afford food after covering rent, bills, and childcare over the school holidays.

“We’ve had parents breaking down in our reception area, unable to cope, unsure how to get through the next week.

"This isn’t about poor budgeting. This is about a cost of living crisis that continues to hit the most vulnerable hardest, while support services are shrinking.

“Food banks were never meant to be a long-term solution, and yet we’ve become the last line of defence for thousands of people and that line is under serious pressure.

“ Unless we see urgent action locally and nationally to tackle poverty, improve access to support, and fund services properly, we are going to face an incredibly difficult winter.”