Nearly half of people using Uttlesford Foodbank, which has seen its usage double in three years, are children.

The food bank has reported delivering 1,200 food parcels a year to local residents who have often experienced months of extreme hardship.

Campaigns officer Desiree Ashton addressed Uttlesford District Council at a meeting last night and said of the 3,000 people the food bank is feeding, 45 per cent are children.

She said: "Against the backdrop of austerity, the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis, certain groups within our community have had scant opportunity to build any form of resilience."

National data suggests 56 per cent of households using food banks are on Universal Credit while 60 per cent are living with disabilities.

Locally, the majority of clients come because of low income, debt or benefit delays. This year alone has seen a 50 per cent increase in demand for the food bank.

Operating in Saffron Walden, Great Dunmow and Stansted, Ms Ashton said food bank sees the highest usage from people in Great Dunmow South, Saffron Walden Shire, Takeley, Castle, Stansted South and Birchanger, Elsenham and Henham, Great Dunmow North.

This correlates with data on local uptake of Universal Credit and applications for emergency grants through the Essex Essential Living Fund.

But Ms Ashton said addressing the driving factors will reduce local use, claiming timely, localised interventions can make a difference. She asked councillors for help promoting the support available for residents in their wards.

She said: "We can’t just keep giving out food parcels in the hope that things might change."