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Cherwell declares a Food Poverty Emergency
20/07/2022
Unanimous support for motion which aims to address the suffering of residents struggling to feed themselves
Cherwell District Council has declared a Food Poverty Emergency.
Councillor Perran Moon, who represents Banbury Grimsbury and Hightown, presented a motion to Monday night’s full council meeting, which received unanimous cross-party support. In presenting his motion Councillor Moon told the meeting he was “parking the politics” as the only question that the Council should be asking about food poverty was “what are we going to do about it”.
The motion states: “This Council acknowledges the suffering of residents struggling to feed themselves and their families and declares a Food Poverty Emergency.”
Addressing the meeting, Councillor Moon said: “There are residents in every single one of our wards that are struggling now. As a Council we have an opportunity to set out mitigating measures as best we can.
“It is estimated that 9 to 14 percent of the population of Oxfordshire suffers from food insecurity. That is equivalent to 13,000 to 21,000 residents of Cherwell.”
As a result of the motion Councillor Phil Chapman will take on the role of Food Champion. He will lead and bring together all the actions the council takes to tackle food poverty in the district. This will be monitored by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Work will begin to draw up a Cherwell Food Action Plan which aims to support local communities in helping to relieve the food poverty emergency. This will fit in with the County Council’s new countywide food strategy.
Councillor Moon told the meeting that barely half of the people eligible for Healthy Start food vouchers were taking advantage of them. A promotional campaign will now be developed to raise awareness of the scheme.
The motion’s action points also included supporting people to reduce food waste and improve their food choices.
Councillor Moon concluded: “We need an approach that works in and with our local communities. But above all … let’s send out a clear and unambiguous message to all residents that when it come to food poverty, no one in Cherwell gets left behind.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam