Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence received.

The Democratic Services Manager advised that no notice had been received for the appointment of substitute members.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members in respect of business to be transacted on the agenda.

Councillor M Bates made a Voluntary Announcement of Other Interest (VAOI) on the grounds that he was a volunteer with the Dover Outreach Centre.

Councillor S C Manion made a Voluntary Announcement of Other Interest (VAOI) on the grounds that he was a trustee of the Aylesham and District Workshop Trust for which BeChange was a tenant.

Councillor S H Beer declared a Voluntary Announcement of Other Interest (VAOI) on the grounds that she was a member of the board for Age UK.

Councillor P Walker made a Voluntary Announcement of Other Interest (VAOI) on the grounds that he was a trustee of the Aylesham and District Workshop Trust for which BeChange was a tenant.

To receive evidence from invited groups in respect of the Review of Food Poverty in the Dover District.

The Chairman welcomed the invited attendees to the meeting and thanked them for attending to answer the Committee’s questions in respect of the levels of Food Poverty in the Dover District.

Dover Food Bank (Jonathan Wheeler)

The Committee was advised that the Dover Food Bank was set-up by Christians Together in Dover and was part of the Trussell Trust network of food banks. It covered Dover and the surrounding areas such as Lydden, Temple Ewell, Whitfield, Guston and St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe.

The services of the food bank were accessed by referral from a wide range of agencies such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, Porchlight, the NHS, social services, schools, housing associations and the Dover outreach centre. 

The referring agency would provide up to 3 vouchers with each voucher equating to 3 days of emergency food. The 3-voucher limit applied per crisis. The aim was to support people/households through the crisis by helping them access the assistance they needed rather than into food bank dependency. Pre-Covid-19 this would involve meeting with people and assessing their needs and any additional services they required but due to the restrictions around the Covid-19 pandemic this meant that they were only able to deliver the food parcels.

For the 12 months ending October 2020, the Dover Food Bank had:

·         Provided 3 days of emergency food to 4,172 people which equated to 36 ¼ tons of food

·         Provided 4 ½ tons of food per month

·         38% of those helped were children

·         Had seen a 26% increase year-on-year

·         Seen a large spike in demand in April 2020

·         Maintained food stocks through local donations from people and organisations

The Dover Food Bank was not in receipt of Council grant funding and obtained its food through donations.

Q1.    How do you get your referrals?

The majority of referrals to the Dover Food Bank came from the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) although a small number of self-referrals were accepted. This was seen as a good route as the CAB could provide a range of additional support services beyond food vouchers.

In contrast, pre-covid a large number of the referrals came from the Dover Gateway and through work with housing associations and porchlight.

Q2.    What were the most common circumstances for referral?

The most common circumstance for people needing to access the food bank since covid-19 was unemployed families or those on furlough for less than 100% income. The impact of switching over from benefits to Universal Credit was also a factor.

In addition, there were also a significant number of people moving into the area with needs.

Q3.    How do people choose their food?

          Pre-covid it had been more than just about food and there had been a tailored checklist that asked what they liked and needed.

          Since covid-19 these questions were asked by the referring agency.

Q4.    What if the need goes beyond the voucher provision?

          The Dover Food Bank was a crisis support provider rather than an on-going support provider so the 3 voucher limit was useful. However, the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.