Minutes:
The Board received a report and presentation as part of the Equally Well Strategy, Ensure a Healthy Standard of Living for All.
The focus on affordable food and encouraging residents to make their own affordable food. The Poverty Intervention Partnership Board has increased its embers and meets quarterly to review actions. Recent developments include four working groups looking to address: food insecurity, transport issues, school-based support and fuel poverty.
A food strategy for North Tyneside is currently in development which include a focussed strand of food insecurity. Actions include activities to support the development of affordable food provision within communities across North Tyneisde. A network of affordable food clubs, pantries and community shops are developing across North Tyneside which are focussed on making nutritious food accessible in local communities. This included the Bread and Butter Thing, delivering up to 480 residents across 6 locations weekly. The hubs run in Whitley Bay, Collingwood Ward, Shiremoor, Longbenton, Howdon and Fordley with support from VCSE organisations and schools locally.
The warm welcome programme within VCSE locations over the winter will have a food focus with up to 10 venues delivering community cooking as part of the offer. Open access to a warm safe space for residents will become the bases of other wraparound services including equipment and skills to prepare nutritious meals at home.
The Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme has continue so support children and young people eligible for income related free school meals. During the summer of 2023 match funding of £46000 expanded the reach of HAF to allow more children to access the programme from low-income households.
Supermarket vouchers have continued to be provided to families on income related free school meals for all school holidays at a rate of £15 per week per child.
Other updates provided in the report included fuel poverty, clothing costs, support for household bills, financial crisis or emergency support, the digital inclusion strategy and a poverty proofing of the school day programme designed to identify barriers faced by children living in poverty when engaging with school life and help alleviated these.
The Board were advised that some mapping has been carried out looking at the main supermarkets within a 1 mile radius which has identified areas of high food insecurity across the borough. Based on Dr Megan Blakes food ladder we are aiming towards Rung 3, Rung 1 is catching, whereas Rung 3 is about self organised community change. Where currently there is an SLA in place for the food bank and they get donations, they are seeing a rapid increase in referrals and less donations. Some targeted marketing needs to take place in order to inform residents of where they can go. We need to get smarter at sharing information and need to look at how we transform the food landscape.
It was noted that the police are seeing a significant increase in shop thefts, however, this could be a real opportunity to speak to people and divert them point them in the direction of support.
It was noted that it was hoped that transport and costs of transport would be featured in the future. It was raised that we also need to work with employers to encourage the Real Living Wage and look at what else we can do to support in work poverty.
It was noted that the Child Poverty Commission produce a table and within that North Tyneside are doing better than most. It was noted that it really needs central government changes to national policy.
It was noted that there will be a huge opportunity offered by devolution conversations are taking place.
The team were congratulated on their work.
RESOLVED - (i) That progress in delivering the Ensure a Health Standard of Living for all Theme by the Poverty Intervention Board be noted.
(ii) that the comments of the Board on the approach to food insecurity in North Tyneside be noted.