Hertsmere residents who are going through financial insecurity are being steered towards a new initiative by the local Food Poverty Alliance.

The 'Worrying about Money?' leaflets were made to help people easily identify and access local advice providers and figure out ways to acquire existing entitlements and maximise income.

By the end of March, these leaflets will be on doorsteps, along with council tax bills.

The leaflets have been based on research and findings from the Hertsmere Food Poverty Alliance and were co-produced by Hertsmere Borough Council and the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN).

In the UK, five million people have experienced food poverty between 2019-2020, the Family Resources Survey says. Data from The Food Foundation says in 2020 this was eight per cent of the population but had risen to nine per cent by January 2021. Food banks had also seen an increase in use by 123 per cent in the last five years, The Trussell Trust shows.

Representatives of these organisations were present at a virtual launch of the leaflets, where they shared and discussed how this will help people access money advice and that support can help reduce the need for charitable food aid.

Cllr Meenal Sachdev, the council’s portfolio holder for community, leisure, health and wellbeing, said: “Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen a rise in poverty, with food banks reporting an unprecedented demand.

“It is for this reason, we set up the Hertsmere Food Poverty Alliance - to bring together partners to reduce food poverty and food insecurity in the borough and to enhance services.

“The aim of this initiative is to address the root cause of poverty and provide straightforward resources, such as our 'Worrying about Money' leaflet, to help people navigate their financial situation to a position where reliance on a food bank will not be necessary."

The Hertsmere Food Poverty Alliance is a borough-wide organisation that aims to tackle food poverty in response to the increase in reliance on foodbanks, and was launched at the end of last year by Hertsmere Borough Council.

To find out more about the Hertsmere Food Poverty Alliance, go to: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/moneyworries