Subject: Foodbank-Free City — From Parcels to Community Support Hubs
Date of meeting: 26 March 2026
Proposer: Councillor Mitchie Alexander
Seconder: Councillor David McGregor
Ward(s) affected: All
Notice of Motion
That deletions
are made as shown with strikethrough below and additional
recommendations are added as shown in bold
italics below:
This council notes:
1.
Reliance on food banks is driven by low incomes, high living
costs, and gaps in statutory support.
2.
Emergency food parcels cannot be a permanent substitute for
social security, housing security and properly funded public
services food and
financial security.
3.
The city’s community food organisations have the trust and
reach in providing to support a transition to dignified,
non-stigmatising support.
4. Food is a matter of dignity and social rights, not charity or “deservingness”.
5.
Organisations
committed to end food poverty such as the Child Poverty Action
Group state that links between advice services and food banks
should be increased. and the Trussell
Trust have stated that a reduction in food banks should be sought
by prioritising cash-first support, income maximisation, and access
to services.
This council resolves to:-
1
Support the
principle of achieving the goal of a Foodbank-Free Brighton &
Hove, by reducing poverty and strengthening preventative
support. meaning an end to
routine dependence on emergency food parcels through higher incomes
and statutory support.
2
Request
officers continue to take a preventative and long-term approach in
tackling food poverty and continue to work with community food
organisations to support the aim within the Brighton & Hove
Food Strategy Action Plan ’25–’30 to help
foodbanks, when appropriate, move into affordable food hubs that
combine dignified food access with to consider how
local food banks and community food organisations can be
supported to develop a transition plan to transform participating
sites into Community Support Hubs that combine dignified food
access with warm handovers into advice
on, benefits, housing,
debt, health and employment support safeguarding
support.
3
Request officers
to continue to work with residents on building financial
resilience, giving advice and signposting to community food
organisations when appropriate..consider
cash-first and other advice routes where these are available in
preference to food bank referral
4
Request officers
to bring a report to Cabinet within six months, setting out
delivery steps, role boundaries (so volunteers are not substitutes
for statutory services), and simple measures of progress to achieve
the above ambitions. Request members take note of the Crisis & Resilience
Fund report which sets out how the council is working to increase
resilience for residents in poverty, working with community food
organisations and the Community & Voluntary Sector to ensure
those in food crisis receive immediate support alongside advice to
prevent future crisis.
Recommendations to read if carried:
This council notes:
1. Reliance on food banks is driven by low incomes, high living costs.
2. Emergency food parcels cannot be a permanent substitute for food and financial security.
3. The city’s community food organisations have the trust and reach in providing dignified, non-stigmatising support.
4. Food is a matter of dignity and social rights, not charity or “deservingness”.
5. Organisations committed to end food poverty such as the Child Poverty Action Group state that links between advice services and food banks should be increased.
This council resolves to:-
1. Support the principle of achieving the goal of a Foodbank-Free Brighton & Hove, by reducing poverty and strengthening preventative support.
2. Request officers continue to take a preventative and long-term approach in tackling food poverty and continue to work with community food organisations to support the aim within the Brighton & Hove Food Strategy Action Plan ’25–’30 to help foodbanks, when appropriate, move into affordable food hubs that combine dignified food access with advice on, benefits, housing, debt, health and employment support..
3. Request officers to continue to work with residents on building financial resilience, giving advice and signposting to community food organisations when appropriate.
4. Request members take note of the Crisis & Resilience Fund report which sets out how the council is working to increase resilience for residents in poverty, working with community food organisations and the Community & Voluntary Sector to ensure those in food crisis receive immediate support alongside advice to prevent future crisis.