The families of British soldiers are forced to rely on charity food handouts to make ends meet on the low wages
03 August 2009 | Telegraph.Co.UK
Their financial problems are increased when regiments are sent overseas on tour as spouses are burdened with extra expenses such as childcare and larger phone bills.
The charity Foodbank, based in Salisbury, Wiltshire, has handed out hundreds of food parcels to struggling military families in the past three years.
The charity’s network manager, Jeremy Ravn, told The Sun newspaper that wives and families resorted to the parcels when they were hit by unexpected expenses.
“There is always the cost of extra child care and travel and bigger phone bills,” he said. “But because the lower ranks are not paid well, often just a large bill or a hiccup in the pay system is enough to push them over the edge.
“Speaking as an ex-soldier, it is very distressing to see forces people in this state. It is heartbreaking when you see them come in. But it’s nice to be able to help them immediately.”
Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox said the news was an “outrage”.
“For a government that can find billions for bank bailouts, service families going hungry is a betrayal of Britain’s finest,” he told The Sun.
“This would have been a scandal in the 19th century. It’s an outrage in the 21st century. What does it say about our country?”
Julie McCarthy, chairwoman of the Army Families Federation, agreed that the need for handouts was “beyond belief”.
“It’s not because they are over-spending,” she said. “It’s because they have to live on such tight budgets to survive. The regiments do what they can, but their welfare officers are often overwhelmed dealing with fatalities and the wounded.
“When I look at what we ask our soldiers to do, it makes me very angry. They surely have enough to worry about in Afghanistan without wondering if their families are able to eat.”
An Army spokeswoman said: “For a variety of reasons, a number of personnel may find themselves in a situation where they need help managing their household budgets.
“The chain of command works closely with individual personnel to assist them. We also work closely with charities and Armed Forces Families Federations, which are sometimes approached by families for assistance, in order to ensure that help is co-ordinated and longer term solutions can be found.”
