FEEDING
BRITAIN'S
FUTURE
“ ommunity Shop offers
C
a glance into the future
of what food assistance
might look like.”
But we also encountered in our inquiry some of the potential
“ ince our cross-party inquiry
S
we've been inundated with
comments on how complex
our proposals are.”
The churches and their outstanding volunteers who run food
It has also pledged to consider what further action might be
recruiting sergeants for the fight-back against debt, and in
banks and other food schemes told our inquiry they want to
necessary to change the price cap on high-cost money
turn, hunger.
see fewer people having to rely on their services in the next
lenders, and is proposing measures to abolish the use of
five years.
higher-rate telephone numbers by money lenders, credit
Some food banks and social supermarkets are able to
combine the charitable giving, or heavily discounted sale of
food, with a plan to work with poorer households on the debt
which has taken such great chunks out of their food budgets.
For those families relying on food banks and who are in work,
or others who’ve suffered a problem with their benefit claim
or are struggling with their utility bills, reforms are needed to
I am working with Citizens Advice, Credit Unions and other
help ease at least some of the pressure on poorer households’
local agencies in Birkenhead to try and provide such help in
food budgets.
each of our food banks and churches, to ensure one or two
visits to a food bank might bring about a solution with longer
term benefits. The likes of Community Shop also offer a glance
into the future of what food assistance might look like.
The Financial Conduct Authority has responded positively
to our proposals. It is to require as soon as possible payday
loan brokers to amend their privacy policies, and has passed
Community Shop invites people on low incomes to sign up as
new regulations covering practices such as imposing
members, so they can buy good quality food for 30p in the
charges that consumers often knew nothing about until they
pound. It’s so remarkably priced because the food industry has
checked their bank account.
deemed it to be surplus and then sold it to Community Shop.
Payday loan brokers cannot now request an individual’s bank
A whole batch of Maltesers were deemed waste because the
closing date had passed for the competition on the packaging.
Yet the chocolates themselves were perfectly edible.
Thankfully, Community Shop stepped in and, alongside food,
card companies and banks.
But the inquiry found that even if our reforms on wages,
benefits and living costs were enacted, a group of our fellow
citizens would remain hungry.
Here is where Feeding Britain aims to link up supermarkets, food
manufacturers, churches, and other voluntary organisations to
work with people on resolving the issues in their lives which
constantly leave them hungry. We heard time and again how
churches have the ability to combine the charitable giving of
food with a loving arm around one’s shoulder.
This, we heard, can often be the start of a process in which those
details or take a payment from their account without their
facing severe hardship can turn their lives around, particularly if
explicit consent first.
we can then involve local credit unions, debt advisors and welfare
rights workers. We encourage in our report the continuation and,
Payday loan brokers will also have to include their legal
indeed, the expansion of this activity.
it offers people love and friendship, and their staff work
name, not just their trading name, in all advertising and other
with people helping with cooking, debt, budgeting and
communications with customers, and state prominently in
Each of us who served on the inquiry is now rolling out
looking for jobs.
their adverts that they are a broker, not a lender.
regional pilot schemes to put this into action."
SPRING 2015 UKAR ARENA
19