Should I vote Labour Mark 11

I don't know Elegran I would imagine you would have to prove your need and prove your income . I doubt whether earnings of £20,000 ( for a trainee) would be looked upon at as desperation though.

Where I live £20,000 is a fairly decent wage angelab . A very bloomin' Good wage for a trainee. Sadly the SE can't have it all . You can't revel in the fact that the house you bought for a pittance is now worth millions and them moan that poor police officers can't live on £20,000. Maybe they should get in their proverbial bike and move to where the houses are cheaper and people aren't so damned greedy to charge £1400 a month rent !

Should be £20,000 sorry.

I really don't know where the people on here live who think that a policeman or nurse would never need a food bank. Read the post earlier - £20,00 would barely put a roof over your head in the SE. Where I live, typical rent for a 2-bed flat is around £1200 pcm, that's £14,400 just on rent. Nurses in London get additional pay in recognition of this - but that allowance where I live was removed.

So does the social worker etc record the occupation of everyone they refer? Not necessarily the people at the food bany itself. And do they pass on the figures for each occupation, not just a mention of unspecified numbers of "nurses and policemen"? (which could be one of each, for any temporary reason)

You cannot just turn up at a foodbank Elegran you have to be referred via a social worker, church, charity, doctor etc.

I think the uniform might be a bit of a give away though.

Do they ask everyone who uses a food bank what their occupation is?

Exactly Anniebach .

I have a young police officer living opposite me (in the bigger houses). He is married with two young children. His wife is a stay at home mum and they both drive very nice cars. I donate to my local food bank both privately and via my WI and would be very surprised, disgusted even, to see him or his wife standing in line with the poor people living on the breadline. But as you say... it makes a good Labour Headline.

So true Gilly, I think using this -nurses and police officers need food banks mocks the low paid , unemployed and those on disability benefits .

Food banks which we should be ashamed of have now become a political weapon started by labour , labour needs food banks

At least voting Labour or Liberal you will know where the money is to come from.

Tories?? Clueless.

New PC's or nurses are quite well paid (the clue is in the word new) considering they are young people learning on the job. Most young people in training would receive much less.

<Why would someone earning a police officers wage not be able to buy food?>

A new PC earns around £20,000 pa. If he/she lives in the South East, that could mostly go on rent. It doesn't take much of a crisis to put someone over the edge, even if only temporarily.
And nurses have to pay tuition fees on top of accommodation.

Claims that nurses and police officers are using food banks is almost mocking those who really have no choice but to do so.

Where I live nurses, teachers and police officers etc. are probably the most well paid people and they tend to live in the more expensive houses.

Maybe the "poor" nurse, teacher or copper should spare a thought for someone earning minimum/living wage on a zero hours contract. Poor police officers? Poor nurses? Poor teachers ? Don't make me laugh.

That is why a back story is needed.

You are completely missing the point on this, Police officers and qualified nurses are paid very well.Therefore if any need to use a food bank something has gone disastrously wrong in their life ( nobody has suggested they may not be deserving of it) and these people are exreme examples, nobody should imagine that broad swathes of nurses and policemen are on their uppers in this way.
So when somebody says, look at this! Even nurses and policemen are now needing foodbanks under this Tory government! It gives a completely false impression of things.

Good summary Maizie - but that makes for a very big problem. One group want to work co-operatively to solve the problems all have and the other group want to pull up the drawbridge and take out the guns. I doubt that we will see and easy and gentle old age as we go into it.

Why would someone earning a police officers wage not be able to buy food?

Well said, Maizie.

As a country we should be ashamed at the idea of nurses and policemen and teaching assistants having to go to food banks, not be questioning them.

I think we might have to accept that there is, and always has been, broadly speaking, two diametrically opposed views on issues like this. There are those who are deeply suspicious of anyone who is getting any sort of benefit or handout because they might not be deserving of it, and those who feel it is best to believe people are in real need and who are prepared to accept that a few cheats might get through the system but it is more important to help all people in need than worry about possible 'cheats'.

I do not believe police officers need food banks ,

Reasons to vote Labour, particularly if you are disabled or know someone who is. Or even if you are concerned about the rights of disabled people.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/18/vote-labour-to-uphold-the-rights-of-disabled-people

We do not need to know individual circumstances. Nobody goes to a foodbank because they want to. We need to give them the dignity of believing what they say, not argue about what grade nurse they are.

Agree completely, whitewave, and GracesGran.
As a country we should be ashamed at the idea of nurses and policemen and teaching assistants having to go to food banks, not be questioning them.

I couldn't agree more whitewave.

It is lovely if we and our own family are doing well (that is those of us who are) but I don't get the 'ignore those who are not and assume that someone somewhere is lying about the difficulties so that it doesn't disturb my peace of mind' attitude.

Actually I think that if anyone is forced to use a food bank for whatever reason it is a tragedy for that person, and even more so for their children.

In a country like ours which is awash with wealth it is not only a tragedy but utterly immoral.

We need to know the whole picture as it is all relevant

No it isn't

Of course it is - 'a nurse' could be a health-care assistant abandoned by her partner, struggling to bring up several children on her own and partner leaving her with debt and refusing to help more than he has to to fund his own children.

'A nurse' can be highly qualified and highly paid and in the higher tax bracket.

So saying that nurses, teachers, policemen are needing to use food banks would need further investigation of the circumstances of the individuals concerned because otherwise a false picture could be portrayed.