Issue - meetings

To consider any Notices of Motion that have been received in accordance with paragraph 1.33 of the Council Procedure Rules.

Consideration was given to the following Notice of Motion, which had been submitted in accordance with paragraph 1.33 of the Council Procedural Rules.

Right to Food

Proposed by Councillor A Critchley and Seconded by Councillor S Handley

We are seeing a crisis of food poverty born out of the political choices and systemic failings created over the past four decades, which have now reached a tipping point for so many in our communities. The figures are devastating for one of the richest nations in the world and highlight the inequality of the UK in 2020.

The Trussell Trust reports a soaring 81% increase in emergency food parcels from food banks in its network during the last two weeks of March 2020 compared with the same period in 2019, including a 122% rise in parcels given to children as the coronavirus pandemic continued to unfold.

This Council notes the consistent high rates of poverty across our Borough and Cheshire as a whole.  We recognise the growing concern amongst our health and care professionals of the current situation and the likely exacerbation of poverty figures through the impact of the Covid19 pandemic and economic uncertainty as we progress through 2021.

The National Food Strategy is the first independent review of England’s entire food system for 75 years.  Its purpose is to set out a vision for the kind of food system we should be building for the future, and a plan for how to achieve that vision. It is headed by Henry Dimbleby and next reports to Government at some time this year.

The Right To Food campaign is arguing that the 11 million people in food poverty should be central to this strategy.

Enshrining the ‘Right To Food’ into law would clarify Government obligations on food poverty and would introduce legal avenues to hold Government bodies accountable for violations.

This Council calls for the ‘Right To Food’ to be incorporated into the ‘National Food Strategy’.  We ask the Chief Executive, Lorraine O’Donnell to write to Henry Dimbleby to further this request.

RESOLVED:

That the Motion be referred to the Adults and Health Committee.