THE number of meals provided by the foodbank in the Taunton area has increased by six per cent in the six months of 2022 compared to the same period the previous year.

A spokesperson for Taunton Foodbank said “we are only just beginning to see the impact of the cost-of-living crisis”, as they provided food for over 3000 persons, of whom more than 1000 were children, from January to June this year.

This meant an increase of six per cent over the same period of 2021, Taunton Foodbank added The spokesperson also said: “Between January 1 and June 30 2022 we provided food for 3229 individuals of whom 1182 were children.

“This is an increase of 6 per cent over the same period of 2021. “We provide more than enough food for approximately 10 meals for each individual so this is a total of 32,290 meals provided in the 6-month period.

“We are only just beginning to see the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on local people and are concerned as we come into autumn and winter that the situation may become much more acute for many people.

“With this in mind, the Foodbank and Citizens Advice Taunton are working together to provide more help, support, and advice to Foodbank clients.

“The objective of this collaboration is to provide advice and support to clients who are so impoverished that they need the services of the Taunton Foodbank, or are in impending need of it.

“The intention is to alleviate current the distress caused by the cost-of-living problems and to help prevent future needs.

“This help would take the form of advice, budgeting, and investigating charitable support. An Advisor from Citizens Advice Taunton will be present at the Taunton Foodbank on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings.”

A spokesperson for Citizens Advice Taunton said: “Citizens Advice Taunton has recently observed some concerning trends amongst people seeking support. For example:

• 150 per cent increase over the last year in people looking for local welfare support, i.e. emergency help

• 300 per cent increase in demand for advice on fuel debt

• 230 per cent increase in people looking for advice on council tax arrears

• 60 per cent increase in demand for advice on homelessness

“Despite government action to strengthen support for people with low incomes, many people continue to struggle.

“We know that expected energy price hikes this autumn will pile on further pressure.

“This crisis is far from over and we would urge people to be prepared for these changes by making sure they have a working personal budget so they can easily identify when help is needed.”