Council urged to help Haringey foodbanks with cheaper spaces

Independent councillor suggests council could offer under-used office spaces to charities struggling with rising rents, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

A Trussell Trust foodbank with (inset left) St Michael's Church and (inset right) councillor Mary Mason — A Trussell Trust foodbank with (inset left) St Michael’s Church and (inset right) councillor Mary Mason

An independent councillor has called on Haringey Council to better support foodbanks struggling to “compete on the open market” for spaces.

Bounds Green councillor Mary Mason, a member of the breakaway Independent Socialists group, has asked that local foodbanks in need of space be supported with temporary, full, or part-time use of empty or partly-used council-owned buildings.

The appeal to the council comes amid an increase in demand for foodbanks and reports that some pantries are struggling to maintain their operation.

Cllr Mason said: “Foodbanks have sadly become vital, and the reliance on the voluntary sector an expectation.”

A place to store, freeze and distribute food, as well as an office space, was necessary, but foodbanks were being left to “compete on the open market” which she called a “failure of imagination”.

Cllr Mason said: “A single room in a council building would provide office space. A freezer in a school or community building would enable us to collect and store food. One or two days in a hall would enable us to distribute essential items.

“The lack of access to community spaces in Haringey creates stress, isolation and costs public services. With community cohesion we increase people’s ability to care for themselves and their neighbours.”

In response, Haringey’s cabinet member for communities, Ajda Ovat, said the council understood the “critical role” foodbanks played and were “committed to supporting them find suitable premises as quickly as possible”.

One example raised was Bounds Green Food Bank, which volunteer lead Zaza Buyong said was only able to operate through the support of a church, but its future was in jeopardy.

The independent foodbank, which does not receive any council funding and is completely volunteer-run, operates two days a week from St Michael’s Church in Bounds Green Road.

Zaza explained the foodbank supported approximately 1,200 people but was under pressure to move from two days to one day per week and had had to relocate its advice and support service so the former space could be rented out.

The rector of St Michael’s Church, Ian Booth, said the building was in a state of “disrepair” and was also needing to find and maintain funding for multiple services.

Zaza said the foodbank had made “attempts” to get support securing the advice service’s long-term future and find more storage space but had found it difficult.

She explained the foodbank had paid the church “peppercorn rent” to run, which it has done at this location since 2021, and was allowed to use the space “flexibly” and even “against” the church’s “own financial interest”.

However, this was proving hard to sustain and both the church and the food bank were calling on the council to help.

Zaza said: “We do know that the council itself is under-resourced but this opens up the challenge of how they can support the voluntary and community sector to provide emergency help in a crisis.”

In response, Cllr Ovat said: “No-one in this borough should have to go without food or buy poor quality food.

“We work in collaboration with multiple community groups to tackle food poverty, with the ultimate aim to abolish it.

“We understand the critical role foodbanks play in the community and are committed to supporting them to find suitable premises as quickly as possible.

“That is why – as part of our ‘Community Spaces’ initiative – we’ve been talking with several projects in recent weeks to ensure they can continue serving the thousands of people and families that rely on their services.”

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