Issue - meetings

The Chairman of the Foodbank and Community Shop Provision Task Group, Councillor E. Gray, presented the group’s final report for the Cabinet’s consideration.

Members were advised that the Task Group had commenced their review in December 2023.  During the course of the review, the Task Group had considered the findings of the previous Fuel Poverty Task Group, had interviewed relevant Council Officers and had undertaken visits to food banks in the District.

Cabinet was advised that there had been a delay since the Task Group’s report had been presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Board in April 2024.  The delay had arisen partly due to the transfer from one municipal year to another but also due to changes to meeting dates that had occurred in the build up to the general election.  As a consequence of this delay, Members were asked to note that there had been some changes locally in respect of food bank and community shop provision, including the closure of a food bank in Sidemoor ward.

Based on the evidence gathered during the review, the Task Group had proposed five recommendations, which had been endorsed by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

The intention of the first recommendation was primarily to enhance communications in relation to food banks.  This would help to more easily signpost residents to the food banks and community shops in the District that were available to use.

The second recommendation focused on the support that the Council could provide to food banks and community groups.  It was recognised that Officers already undertook a lot of work in this space and the Bromsgrove Partnership also had an important role in relation to this matter.  However, Councillor Gray commented that newer groups did not necessarily have links to the partnership and this created some challenges.

The third recommendation related to enabling access to food banks and community shops.  The group had learned that many food banks required residents to provide personal data and to have received referrals, such as from local churches, in order to access support.  The suggestion was made that this could have GDPR implications, in terms of data use and storage.

In respect of the fourth recommendation, Cabinet was advised that the group had considered potential gaps in provision geographically.  As part of this process, a gap in provision had been identified by the Task Group in Rubery and it was felt that residents living in this ward should be able to access a Food Bank within Bromsgrove District.

The final recommendation focused on developing a network of food banks across the District.  It was suggested that participation in this network should be a prerequisite in order for groups that were operating these venues to be permitted to apply for Council funding and other support.

In concluding her remarks, Councillor Gray suggested that the Task Group’s findings should not be considered in isolation.  Instead, she urged Cabinet to consider this matter in a wider context, in terms of the impact of the cost  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14