Agenda item

The Chairman of the Foodbank and Community Provision Task Group, Councillor E. M. S. Gray, presented the final report of the Task Group. In doing so, Councillor E. M. S. Gray provided details of the final recommendations of the Task Group, explaining rationale behind each recommendation in detail.

Following the opening remarks by the Chairman of the Task Group, Members discussed the following aspects of the work undertaken by the Task Group:

·       Funding provision to foodbank organisations –It was noted that one of the areas considered by the Task Group was distribution of funding to foodbanks in the District. Following visits to the foodbanks, it was deemed imperative for Members to understand mechanisms through which funding was provided to foodbanks. Members also asked for updates on which foodbanks operating in the District were being funded by the Council and/or via the funding that was distributed by the Council.

·       An explanation was provided that Bromsgrove District Council did not provide any funding to foodbanks from its General Fund (the Council’s budget). The Council had awarded the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF) to local organisations.  This money had been provided to the District Council from Worcestershire County Council in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding. The purpose of the Fund was to support vulnerable households through lead local authorities as part of the support linked to the increase in the cost of living. This fund specifically related to providing assistance to vulnerable households in most need of support to help with energy and water, food, wider essentials, advice services and housing costs.

·       As part of HSF grant funding distribution, foodbanks were awarded some funding. The requirement to receive funding was that the foodbank had been in existence for a minimum of 12 months as of the start of each new phase of Household Support Fund (HSF). It was reported that in March 2024 the HSF had been extended for an extra six months, and five foodbanks in the District benefited from this round of HSF funding. Information with regard to which foodbanks had been awarded this funding were published on the Council’s website.

·       It was reported that several organisations listed in the report provided other support services alongside foodbank operation. These organisations could also bid and receive funding from the Council in respect of other areas of their operation. For instance, some organisations received Homelessness Prevention Grant Support, approved annually by Cabinet, in respect of housing support. This funding was subject to its own eligibility and monitoring processes as detailed in Cabinet reports.

·       Residents in need of travel across local authority boundaries to access foodbank provision – It was highlighted that in the course of  investigation, Task Group Members highlighted anecdotal evidence of residents in wards bordering other local authorities, such as in Rubery and Hagley, accessing foodbanks across district boundaries. This was attributed to lack of foodbank provision in the outlying wards in Bromsgrove. A question was asked with respect of whether this issue was also identified in the Belbroughton and Romsley ward. It was responded that the Task Group Members were not aware of evidence of this in respect of Belbroughton and Romsley.

With respect of recommendation 4 of the Task Group Final Report, there was a suggestion that the wording of that recommendation be changed to:

“Where there is evidence that there is a need and no facility currently exists (such as Rubery), the Council will continue to support local communities to create food banks.”

It was noted that this amendment was proposed as it was felt that the current recommendation 4 contained a financial implication for the Council and the amended wording would provide a clarification as to the role that the Council would be able to provide in respect of supporting creation of new foodbanks. This proposal was not seconded and not subject to the vote.

Most Members were of the opinion that recommendation 4 as currently printed in the Task Group Final Report should not be changed and remain as follows:

“That the Council endeavour to investigate, under the auspices of existing arrangements available to the Council, such as the Bromsgrove Partnership, whether communities in areas of the district that do not currently have foodbanks require this provision, and that the Council make best effort to create a foodbank in Rubery where a need has already been identified.”

Members of Overview and Scrutiny Board and the Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing and Strategic Housing took the opportunity to thank the Task Group Members for their investigation and comprehensive final report.

On being put to the vote the Foodbank and Community Shop Provision Task Group report recommendations, as printed in the Final Report submitted, were agreed as a recommendation to Cabinet.

RECOMMENDED:

1)    That the Council update its website to include contact details of all foodbanks in the district which wish to be on the list. The Council will ensure that the webpage links to the foodbanks’ websites and/or other contact details, such as telephone and social media, are up-to-date and that information on how to get in touch is easily accessible.

2)    That all organisations providing foodbanks receive the appropriate and necessary support and resources from Bromsgrove District Council, which is proportionate and equivalent to their size and what they require. In the transition period, if the organisation is growing, appropriate support and funding needs to be allocated.

3)    That the Council develop a consistent universal understanding / guidelines of what level of recording of users’ personal information is required for the needs of the community engaged in the foodbank service without breaching the GDPR legislation. That the Council recognise there might be specific recording requirements as conditions attached to accessing specific funding streams.

4)    That the Council endeavour to investigate, under the auspices of existing arrangements available to the Council, such as the Bromsgrove Partnership, whether communities in areas of the district that do not currently have foodbanks require this provision, and that the Council make best effort to create a foodbank in Rubery where a need has already been identified.

5)    That the Council continues to develop opportunities to enable foodbank organisations to come together as part of a network to support each other and to promote the sustainability of the help being provided to the community across the district. That the Council makes clear that joining the network is a pre-requisite if applying for Council funding, should this become available in the future.