Carlisle Council to follow in Liverpool's footsteps over food quality
The Cumbrian cities council will meet tonight to discuss the motion
Last updated 9th Nov 2021
Councillors in Carlisle are meeting today and discussing if everyone living there should have a ‘right to food.’
Liverpool became England's first Right to Food city in January, imposing a statutory obligation on the city council to make access to food in the area a legal right.
If the motion is passed, Carlisle would join Manchester, Liverpoool and Newcastle in acknowledging that having access to good quality food should be a legal right.
The initiative reflects international human rights, and puts pressure on the authorities to ensure everyone’s living standards ensures that they have access to good quality food.
Head of the Affordable Food Network and a local councillor Lisa Brown said: "It's not just simply about us opening a massive food bank and giving everyone a free parcel every week. It's that minimum wages and universal credit benefits are sufficient to meet the costs of nutritious food. People shouldn't be sacrificing other basic needs, such as heating or housing.
"It's appalling that people can't afford to buy food because of the cost of living crisis. Wages are low and universal credit has just been cut, there's just so many reasons and it's absolutely needless."
The motion also proposes that the council's chief executive should write to the Government imploring that the Right to Food Bill is enshrined in law.
Over 4,000 in poverty in Carlisle alone
Figures obtained by No Child Left Behind report that 4,469 are living in poverty in Carlisle.
The affordable food hub has already seen a rise in footfall since the Universal Credit uplift was cut.
The Labour Councillor said it is important that the food disadvantaged families are given is of a high standard.
Cllr Brown said: "There's going to be a bit of a push but it's the right thing to do.
"It's just time to start waking up to the fact that some people can't eat and they don't have access to good food. It's to avoid us becoming a food bank society."
"It goes beyond just food insecurity, it isn't just about access to food for people who can't afford it. During the pandemic we helped thousands of people with shopping because they had to isolate or couldn't get to the shops because of disability; it's as much about that as people in poverty."