THANK you for giving such prominence to the latest statistics about foodbanks in the Vale of Glamorgan. I agree with your editorial comment that the figures are ‘horrifying’, and it is extremely worrying that the number of people using the four Vale Foodbanks has increased steadily over the past three years, and shows no sign of slowing down.

Foodbanks fed over a million British people last year, and the Trussell Trust tells us that the main reasons for their lack of food were benefit problems and low income. I don’t believe that we have arrived at this situation by accident.

Something must be very badly wrong if the benefit system was unable to provide a safety net to ensure that almost 1500 Vale children under the age of 16 didn’t go hungry last year. Why are people working hard, but not able to earn enough to feed themselves and their families? I hope that these questions will be uppermost in voters’ minds on May 7.

You are right when you say that the next government has to act to ensure that hard working people do not have to rely on donations, just so that they can put food on the table.

All governments make choices, and the choices made by the next government will determine the kind of society we want to live in for many years to come.

S Bowyer

Barry