Sunday, August 21, 2022
Waste and subsidies
The Mirror reports that MPs and Lords have binned 2.6 million subsidised dinners as ordinary people struggle to feed their families.
The paper says that over a six year period the dumped food would fill 153 eight-ton skips and weighed 1.23million kilos, or 1,230 tons. They add that the food was binned while MPs were able to tuck in to cut-price nosh as they enjoy salaries of £82,000 – an 11% pay hike this year – and free heating on their second homes.
In contrast, more than two million hard-up adults admit often going without food for an entire day while millions more face below-inflation pay rises – and fuel bills are heading towards a horrifying £5,000 a year.
Taxpayers gave a record £9.1million to subsidise food and drink in the Commons dining rooms in 2020-21 – up from £4.6million a year earlier. Yet Westminster food sales for the period were only £827,000.
Time for a rethink on Parliamentary catering.
The paper says that over a six year period the dumped food would fill 153 eight-ton skips and weighed 1.23million kilos, or 1,230 tons. They add that the food was binned while MPs were able to tuck in to cut-price nosh as they enjoy salaries of £82,000 – an 11% pay hike this year – and free heating on their second homes.
In contrast, more than two million hard-up adults admit often going without food for an entire day while millions more face below-inflation pay rises – and fuel bills are heading towards a horrifying £5,000 a year.
Taxpayers gave a record £9.1million to subsidise food and drink in the Commons dining rooms in 2020-21 – up from £4.6million a year earlier. Yet Westminster food sales for the period were only £827,000.
Time for a rethink on Parliamentary catering.
