I WRITE with regards to F Wyatt’s letter of June 17 on food banks and the comment that “recipients of this food had to do some honest community labour before receiving it they would appreciate it far more”.

What such a comment fails to realise is that people can only access food banks on referral, that there are limits on numbers of referrals and that many people accessing them are in low-paid employment.

Does F Wyatt want to see tens of thousand of children go hungry? Evidence shows that many low-paid families have used food banks as a lifeline.

The myths around food banks are many, just as they are around housing benefit – the majority in the UK is now paid to the private rented sector for those on low pay, not those who are unemployed.

When charity’s such as Oxfam raise concerns regarding the need for food banks in 21st century Britain, as a nation we should worry about the cause of the need not the provision of a lifeline.

Cllr Tracey Simpson-Laing, Deputy Leader, City of York Council.