Bradford: Benefits and use of food banks has increased since 2019

“Pre-Covid we were feeding around 4,500 people, whereas last year we fed 16,000, so that’s tripled,” said Josie Barlow, manager at Bradford Central Foodbank.

In June 2019, 4,035 people were claiming state benefits in Bradford West – but this number doubled over the next five years.

Proportionately, the percentage of Bradford West’s population claiming benefits is currently 11% – the fourth highest rate in the country.

It is closely followed by Bradford East, where 10.5% of the local population claim benefits.

“If you’re on universal credit, that shows you’re on a low income, whether it’s unemployment or you’re not earning a lot of money,” explains Ms Barlow, who says the current data “just shows the level of deprivation” that exists in town.