First party to back our calls for food on local agenda
The Co-operative Party is the first political party to call for support to local food partnerships or set up ones where they don’t exist. Sustain is calling on other parties and candidates to follow suit.
In the run up to the local council elections in England, the number one idea in the Co-operative Party’s ‘12 Ideas for Local Government Manifestos’ links to their Food Justice Campaign and it recommends candidates to:
- Pledge to have a lead member for food justice and look at establish a local food action plan
- Work closely with your local food partnership or explore setting one up
Food partnerships thrive in local areas led by different political parties. While we would like all parties to follow suit and get behind the call for one food partnership and lead on food in every local area, we also recognise that local parties and candidates’ manifestos are shaped by more than just the broad lines of their parties but by local priorities, the character of the place and the concerns of their constituents. Only last year, despite the Government refusing to extend support to free school meals for children in England during the October half-term, many local authorities, including Conservative-led ones, stepped up and paid for free school meals for their most vulnerable children.
Food partnerships are a brilliant way to bring together citizens, local government, community groups, businesses and academics to promote good food for all. In places where they already exist, they have helped drive collective progress on the most pressing food issues of our time. We are also calling for a lead in the council, either a member of staff or councillor, whose role is to lead on developing and delivering the vision set out in the food strategy.
That’s why we are inviting everyone in England to write to your local elected leaders and ask them to support a food partnership in your local area. If there is already a food partnership then please do change your message to your councillors to mention them, and encourage the councillor receiving the email to support them. We’ve written the copy for you, and identified your councillors, all you need to do is press send.
Published Tuesday 23 March 2021
Local elections: Amid a pandemic, economic downturn and a nature and climate emergency, elections are taking place for the Scottish Parliament, Senedd Cymru and many local councils and combined authorities in England on May 6 2021.
