//According to bank HSBC, which questioned more than 1,000 British households, (25%) have no savings at all to fall back on, up from 19% in 2012, while one in 10 have £250 ($397, €295) or less - together representing around 8.8 million households.//
What a nonsense survey. How do you extrapolate to 60milion from a survery of just 1000?
Food banks are intended for emergency use. Generally it is when the civil service have failed to pull their finger out.
However it was exposed a while back that the system is being greatly abused. If there is something free there are bucket loads of people ready to exploit it.
Want to buy your kid a pair of trousers? Try not buying expensive trainers, smoking, drinking and mobile phone first before bleating no money for food.