Agenda item

The Director of Finance submits a report providing an update on the provision of food banks within the city and work taken to identify and engage with organisations. 

The Commission is recommended:-

a)      to note the impacts and trends highlighted in the report and comment on initial findings if appropriate; and

b)      to consider the recommendations arising from the report as the basis of the Council’s Food Bank Strategy as required under the citywide Leicester Food Plan.

The Head of Revenue and Customer Support presented a report which updated the Commission on the provision of food banks within the city and the work carried out to identify and engage with the organisations. Members were referred to the recommendations detailed in section 3.16 of the report, which were made in respect of the Council’s Food Plan Strategy.

A Member referred to the report and stated that the Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields Ward was referred to by three different titles; he asked officers to try to be consistent in future.

It was noted that FareShare subscriptions had increased substantially and Members asked whether the council could help with the cost of membership. The Head of Revenue and Customer Support stated that the amount of the subscription charge was decided by FareShare; some of the organisations had in the past received help from their ward community meeting budgets to pay the subscription.

Councillor Waddington, Assistant City Mayor, Jobs and Skills suggested that an action plan be drawn up in respect of the report’s recommendations. If the Commission agreed to this, report could be brought back to the Commission showing the progress on meeting the recommendations.

Members expressed concerns over the need for foodbanks, at the increase in their number and usage and that further demand was anticipated in the medium term. Councillor Khote asked for details of the uptake in usage of foodbanks in the North Evington Ward. The Head of Revenue and Customer Support explained that the majority of food banks were independent of the council’s involvement and therefore it was not possible to supply detail of this nature for this or any ward in the city.

Comments were made that the report referred to the old wards and ward boundaries that were in existence prior to the changes brought about by the boundary commission which took effect in May 2015. The Head of Revenue and Customer Support responded that the report analysis was undertaken prior to the boundary changes, however the changes would be reflected and acknowledged in the next annual update.

Councillor Sood, Assistant City Mayor, Communities and Equalities, referred to the role that faith groups were taking in relation to emergency food provision. While their contribution was acknowledged in the report, she believed in general, their contribution was not fully recognised. 

The Chair thanked the Head of Revenue and Customer Support for the extensive report and expressed concerns about the need for such emergency provision. He questioned whether demand could be measured in the different wards around the city. The Head of Revenue and Customer Support explained that there were practicalities around measuring demand because the organisations were not council run and did not always provide the council with those details.

RESOLVED:

                        that the Commission agree:

1)    that an action plan be drawn up in respect of the recommendations set out in section 3.16 of the report; and

2)    request that the next annual report on emergency food use, take into account the new wards and boundaries.