Column: We are acting to combat fuel and food poverty

At full council meetings, all the political parties have the opportunity to bring forward motions. These may instruct officers to develop a report on something, to refer an issue to another committee, or even for the council to lobby the Government. This time around, the Labour Group is bringing forward two motions relating to poverty – specifically food and fuel poverty.

Food poverty and fuel poverty are sadly inextricably linked, so we thought it appropriate to bring these forward together. Too many people in our city and across the country must make the stark choice between heating their homes and eating a meal. This is unacceptable. That is why Labour councillors are bringing forward a motion on food poverty and are working with Green councillors to bring forward a motion on fuel poverty.

We will be seeking to build on our lobbying strategy as a local authority to press the Government to provide us with the powers, the resources and the funding to combat poverty locally, in whatever form it exists. We hope all councillors will support these motions so that we can come together to push the Government to act against food and fuel poverty, to reduce the need for foodbanks, for cold homes, and to ensure that no resident ever has to choose between heating and eating again.

There are some really positive things the council, with partner organisations across the city, is already doing to combat food and fuel poverty.

For example, we know that pre-paid energy meters can often mean people have to pay unreasonably high prices to heat their homes. That is why we are removing them from council homes – when tenants agree – and moving them onto the Your Energy Sussex scheme which gives council tenants access to cheaper energy tariffs.

Meanwhile, we have worked with organisations across Brighton and Hove to develop the Food Partnership, which is helping people learn to cook, eat a healthy diet, grow their own food and waste less food. We became the first city in the UK to achieve the “silver” award as a Sustainable Food City, but we have no interest in stopping there – we want that “gold”. It’s crucial we reduce food waste, and there are some fantastic schemes in our council food strategy and from our partners such as the Real Junk Food Project.

Our food partnership runs a community kitchen on Queen’s Road, where I’ve taken some brilliant lessons on affordable recipes and meals. It was a great way to meet people and learn how to make healthy and sustainable food on a budget. The Brighton & Hove Food Partnership offers advice on food poverty, take on volunteers to help grow and maintain community garden spaces, and signpost to places to donate surplus food.

Around a third of food produced globally ends up going to waste and ending up in landfill. This contributes to dangerous levels of carbon output at a time of climate crisis. In fact, if food waste were a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world behind China and the USA.

Our council has declared a climate emergency and has an ambitious target of making the city carbon neutral by 2030, so it’s crucial we reduce our food waste locally. One of our council initiatives to this end is the Community Composting Scheme. This helps more than 1,000 households compost and prevent more than 50 tonnes of food waste going into household bins each year. It’s also a great way to build ties in the local community as people come together to look after their area’s compost boxes and make the collective decision to tackle food waste.

You may have heard me talk about the Real Junk Food Project before – but I’m going to again because it’s so innovative. It rescues food directly from supermarkets, local shops, wholesalers and even from the field. Then they whip it up into delicious, healthy and affordable meals. They have written agreements with the retailers they work with – don’t worry they’re not rummaging through bins to get you your lunch! It runs in Hollingdean Community Centre, One Church in Gloucester Place and on Old Shoreham Road – every Wednesday from 1-2.30pm. I’ve been myself to the café they run at St John the Baptist Church Hall, and you pay what you feel at all of them. It’s affordable for everyone, and they get to feed bellies not bins.

I hope Full Council vote for our motions on Thursday, so we can build on the work the council is doing to alleviate food poverty and fuel poverty, and if you want to hear more about that work or want to get involved – come along to the meeting or get in touch, I always want to hear from you.