ALTON’S food bank may have seen a slight reduction in use over the six-month period from April to September compared to the same period last year, but a warning has been issued that it may not be due to a reduction in need.

While bucking the national trend on usage for Trussell Trust food banks, Alton food bank manager John Jacobs is concerned that if working tax credits are cut as planned, it could trigger a sharp rise in the number of people on low income needing support.

He also fears that some agencies and charities may not be making referrals due to a forced reduction in service or even closure.

According to Mr Jacobs, while nationally food banks handed over a three-day emergency food supply to more than 506,000 people in crisis, compared to 493,000 during April to September last year, in Alton the trend was reversed with 399 people (196 of them children) receiving support this year compared to 404 last year.

While he believes this could be seen as a positive step, he is quite sure that “hunger remains an issue for people in Alton and district”.

On a national basis, statistics show that on average people needed 1.7 food bank referrals in the six-month period, meaning that 297,864 people nationally are likely to have been one-off users, perhaps waiting for benefits to kick in following redundancy.

Alton food bank is part of The Trussell Trust food bank network which aims to provide three days of nutritionally balanced food and support to people in crisis in the UK. The organisation also signposts people to other agencies and services able to help resolve the underlying cause of the crisis.

Users are referred by a professional such as a social worker, health visitor or schools liaison officer, or by statutory agencies.

More than 90 per cent of food given out by Trussell Trust food banks is donated by the public.

Commenting on the half yearly figures, Mr Jacobs said: “As unemployment has fallen in our area we are seeing an increase in food poverty among some working people. In the last six months 36 per cent of people using the Alton food bank have been in work. If working tax credits are cut as planned, we expect to see a sharp rise in people on low income needing to use the food bank.”

Trussell Trust UK food bank director Adrian Curtis said: “Latest food bank figures are still at worryingly high levels. We look forward to the day that we can announce a decrease in numbers needing food banks, and we welcome the fact that latest national figures show a less dramatic rise.

“While we hope that this is a sign that economic recovery is giving more people access to secure work, several food banks are reporting that some agencies and charities who would normally refer people in crisis to food banks have been unable to do so because funding reductions have caused their services to be squeezed or closed.

“We are seeing that hunger remains a major issue for low-income families and individuals.

“When the proposed changes to tax credits are implemented, we are concerned that more working families will not be able to make ends meet, and that we could see a substantial rise in food bank use as a result. We need to learn more from the realities of life for people struggling on low incomes and make sure that no incomes are too low to live on.”

In the last six months, people in and around the town (including schools, businesses and faith groups) donated three-and-a-half tonnes of food to Alton food bank, and more than 40 people volunteered to support the work of the organisation.

Mr Jacobs said: “Winter is likely to see a rise in number of people needing food banks, as people on low incomes face choices between eating and heating. In December 2014, referrals to Trussell Trust food banks nationally were 53 per cent higher than the average across other months, with more than 130,000 three-day food supplies being given to people in crisis in December alone.”

As well as providing emergency food, Alton food bank provides essentials like washing powder, nappies and hygiene products to families who are struggling, as well as signposting them to other services in the area. The food bank also runs a primary school uniform bank and internet access at its distribution centre in the Market Square.