Desperate parents forced to turn to 'baby banks' as benefits chaos fuels demand mirror.co.uk

Left penniless due to delays in her Universal Credit, heavily pregnant mum Carla Toomey had no choice but to rely on charity to help her buy the basics for her new tot. The 41-year-old is just one of many desperate people turning to baby banks as cruel Tory austerity cripples those who need help the most. And the crisis is being fuelled by ­benefits cuts, a charity has warned. Baby Basics, which started in Sheffield 10 years ago and provides supplies such as nappies, clothes and wipes to skint mums for free, has had a 93% rise in people needing its services between 2016 and last year. The figures come as former PM Gordon Brown warns the nation is relying on an “army of volunteers to deal with our rising epidemic” of hardship among working families, ahead of new figures on child poverty out this week.