LEADING Cumberland Councillors have agreed new and ambitious plans to improve diets and the local food system, which has the potential to significantly benefit the health and wellbeing of residents.
The Food Cumberland Strategic Framework was agreed by Executive Committee councillors at their meeting on 31 October 2023 in Workington.
Agreement of the framework represents a major milestone in the council’s commitment to improve access to nutritious, tasty, and affordable food, tackle food poverty and waste, as well as improve the local environment. The framework also sets out the actions to support a vibrant and prosperous local food growing economy.
The Council’s work began in the summer of 2022 when it agreed a motion supporting a Right to Food, meaning food should be adequate, available and accessible. This does not mean relying on charity, but having dignity, choice and the resources to access and cook good quality food. It forms part of the council’s overall ambition to improve the health and wellbeing of residents.
Since then a Food Cumberland Partnership has been established, comprised of representatives from across the local food system, including the third sector, the NHS, the business community, farmers and local food growers. The Partnership, which is part of the national Sustainable Food Places network, will lead on initiatives which improve the local food system, in collaboration with communities, ensuring it is fair for all.
The partnership's work, as outlined in the strategy, is organised into six key themes:
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Food Governance and Strategy – taking a strategic approach to good food governance and action
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Good Food Movement – building public awareness, active food citizenship and a local good food movement
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Healthy Food for All – tackling food poverty, diet related ill-health and access to affordable food
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Catering and Procurement – transforming catering, procurement policy and practice
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Sustainable Food Economy – creating a vibrant, prosperous, and diverse sustainable food economy
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Food and the Environment – tackling the climate and nature emergency through sustainable food and farming and an end to food waste.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Lisa Brown, deputy leader at Cumberland Council, said: “I’m really pleased to be able to present this framework to the Executive.
“Improving access to good quality and healthy food for everyone has been a central ambition of Cumberland Council from the very start when we agreed a Right to Food motion in 2022. We also want to help tackle many other food related issues, like food insecurity, as well as encouraging the more sustainable production of food and creating new well-paid jobs in the industry.
“There are things we can be doing as a council. But we can’t solve these issues alone, which is why the Food Cumberland Partnership is so important as we work collaboratively with other organisations and partners across Cumberland.
“We also want to be innovative with our approach, using all the resources and teams we have available to ensure those most in need get the support they need.”
After it was agreed at the Executive meeting, the Food Cumberland Strategic Framework was officially launched at the Green 2 Grow event held at Energus in Workington on the same day. The event was organised by the council with Cumbria Association of Local Councils and sponsored by the Allerdale Geological Disposal Facility Community Partnership.
Guest speakers at the event included Andrea McGibbon from Sustainable Food Places, John Irwin from the National Allotment Society, Adam Day from The Farmer Network and Nick Lancaster from Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership’s Low Carbon Food Programme.
The Food Cumberland Strategic Framework can be found at Food Cumberland Strategic Framework | Cumberland Council