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Table 1 Example longlisted factors potentially responsible for driving food bank parcel uptake

From: Understanding the post-2010 increase in food bank use in England: new quasi-experimental analysis of the role of welfare policy

Variable

Reason for inclusion

Number of operational Trussell Trust food bank centres

The more venues where food parcels can be obtained (the ‘supply’), the more the ‘demand’ will be met and will translate into a higher number of food parcels collected.

Number of lone parent households

Control variable. Lone parent households have been identified by previous studies as over-represented among food bank users [1, 50].

Number of people who are non-UK born

Some people who are non-UK born, including refused asylum seekers, will lack access to the welfare safety net, due to their immigration status. Lack of access to the benefit system has been identified as a reason why some people use food banks or fall into destitution [1, 10, 50].

Real gross weekly median pay

Low pay has been identified as a reason for using food banks [1]. This variable is a proxy for the extent of in-work poverty in the local authority: a local authority with a lower-than-average median pay will have more households who are in in-work poverty than a local authority with above-average median pay.

Percent of employees working on a part-time basis

Part-time workers typically have lower income than full-time workers. Similarly to the ‘median pay’ variable above, this variable captures information about low-paid households: a local authority with more part-time workers will have more in-work poverty than a local authority with fewer part-time workers, ceteris paribus.

Number of work seekers

Being a work seeker indicates having low/no income, which in turn is the main reason for needing to use a food bank or falling into destitution [1, 33, 50].

Real value of main out-of-work benefits

The less generous the benefits, the higher the likelihood that households relying on them will need to resort to using a food bank or fall into destitution [10, 48].

Number of LHA claimants

Post-2010 changes to the LHA regime resulted in less financial support for private renters, squeezing household budgets and leading some to debt and destitution [10].

Council Tax collected by LA as proportion of all collectible Council Tax

The localisation of Council Tax Support from 2013 has led to some previously exempt households having to pay Council Tax, squeezing household budgets and leading some households to destitution or needing to use food banks [1, 10].

Number of cases of unsuccessful Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment reassessment

The loss of Disability Living Allowance indicates a drop in household income and has been identified as a reason why some households need to use food banks or become destitute [1, 10].