I am writing to inform you of, and invite you to, a series of evidence-led policy webinars taking place over the next couple of months.
Feeding Britain, Trussell, The Food Foundation, the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN), and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) are convening this series, ‘Living Costs in Context’, to focus on the structural drivers of hunger, poverty, and food insecurity across the UK.
The webinars are designed to ensure that parliamentarians and officials hear directly from the organisations witnessing the results of these pressures first-hand, and people with lived experience. They will be combined with opportunities to submit written or spoken evidence in addition to participating in the webinars.
The first webinar will take place between 1pm and 2pm on 24th March 2026, with a focus on young people, and you can click here to register. We will explore the factors which affect young people’s ability to afford the essentials, and how gaps in current systems contribute to the hardship they experience. A small number of parliamentarians are due to attend to listen to and reflect on the evidence being shared. The Chair of the APPG on Ending the Need for Food Banks, Johanna Baxter MP, will chair all three sessions.
This is an opportunity to shape the way that hunger and hardship being experienced by young people is understood across government. When you register for the webinar, you will receive a link to three short questions that will help guide any written submissions you’d like make in addition to attending the session.
By attending and submitting evidence, you will:
- ensure your frontline insight is heard directly by MPs and officials
- contribute to a UK-wide report published online and shared across government
- help build a stronger, shared understanding of the structural drivers of food insecurity and poverty
- strengthen the case for long-term change that reduces the need for charitable food aid
Whether or not you are able to attend the webinar, your insight matters. We are asking everyone who would like to contribute evidence to do so by answering three short questions:
- From your perspective, where do current systems most consistently fail young people at key moments of transition e.g. leaving education or care, entering work, moving into housing, SEN experiences? We are particularly interested in patterns you see repeatedly.
- How do system failures affect a young person’s ability to afford the essentials, and what decisions are they forced to make as a result e.g. choosing between rent, food, transport, heating, or participation in education/work?
- What does evidence from your work suggest is misunderstood, underestimated or missing in current practice or policy discussions about young people and hardship? This may include assumptions about family support, work incentives, local provision, or resilience.
You can either reply to this email with your written submission or fill in this form. Alternatively, you can arrange a brief phone conversation by contacting Anna Hughes on ahughes@trussell.org.uk, or send a voice note or WhatsApp message to 07751921856. The answers to the questions could be as long or short as you’d like them to be. You do not need to answer every question. As we are keen to co-produce a report as soon as possible, the deadline for submitting evidence is close of play on 31st March 2026. All evidence received will contribute to a written report to be published online and shared with parliamentarians.
This is the first of three webinars running from March to May 2026:
- 24th March 2026: Young people, systems, and hardship
- 28th April 2026: Housing, systems, and hardship
- 19th May 2026: National and local safety net
Each webinar will generate a written briefing, and learning across the series will be presented to Parliament at an event organised by the APPG on Ending the Need for Food Banks.
We very much hope you will join and contribute evidence in the way that works best for you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We know that you will be doing this in addition to your day-to-day work and volunteering with your organisation – your input and involvement is hugely valuable and greatly appreciated.
With best wishes,
Andrew
—
Andrew Forsey OBE
National Director
Feeding Britain
