KINGSTON’S foodbank provided 200 fewer emergency food packages to hungry families than last year, but the total was still well over 5,000.

In Kingston 5,649 emergency food packages provided help to struggling families in the 2015/16 financial year, whereas the previous year saw 5,866 bundles given out.

The number of people requiring emergency help has gone down in the borough, but more than 5,500 food packages were still required.

Paul Pickhaver, director of Kingston Foodbank, said: “27.7 per cent of referrals related to issues with benefit payment, compared to 19.7 per cent in 2014 to 2015, and 9.1 per cent gave unemployment as the crisis, compared to 5.5 per cent the previous year.”

For 2015 to 2016 the Trussell Trust gave out 1,109,309 of these packages, a two per cent rise on the year previously.

Kingston and Surbiton MP James Berry said: “During my ‘volunteering week’ in September I spent a day with Kingston Foodbank – visiting one of their welcome centres and helping gather feedback from clients on the new fuel bank pilot.

“Meeting the dedicated volunteers and talking to local people whose lives have been helped with food and fuel vouchers was inspiring, as was seeing the generosity of local people who regularly donate food.”

He added: “Yesterday’s official figures show me that unemployment is down in Kingston by 50 per cent since March 2010, and 4 per cent since last March, and with 924 people claiming JSA. That’s a record-breaking low.”

Mr Berry said he plans to hold a homelessness summit to discuss preventing rough sleeping in Kingston.

Kingston has slightly bucked the trend of national statistics released by the Trussell Trust which show that year on year, the amount of three-day emergency food supplies has increased.

David McAuley, chief executive, said: “Today’s figures on national foodbank use prove that the numbers of people hitting a crisis where they cannot afford to buy food are still far too high.

“One million three-day food supplies given our by our foodbanks every year is one million too many. This must not become the new normal."

There are 424 foodbanks operating in partnership with churches and communities. Last year more than 40,000 volunteers offered their time and the public donated 10,570 tonnes of food.