I recently visited the Leeds South and East Foodbank in Millshaw. Through a number of sites in south Leeds, its help is in great demand. Indeed, three of their five busiest sites are at Belle Isle, St Phillips and Hunslet.
Last year the foodbank supported over 14,000 people with food parcels. About 10% of those receiving help were working, and just under a quarter were adults living on their own, some of them in bedsits that don’t have cooking facilities.
As well as providing food, the foodbanks also offer signposting to other support services like debt management or the Baby Bank which helps new families with baby clothes, cots and buggies.
There are lots of reasons why people come to seek support. For some, there’s been a catastrophic event in their lives like divorce or separation or loss of a job. For others, it’s a real struggle to pay for everything – food, rent and bills – on the income they have. And in recent months they have seen some of the younger generation moving back in with their parents because they can’t deal with all the costs they face.
At the moment, because of the huge demand, the amount of food going out is more than that coming in in donations, so the foodbank is relying on donated funds to buy new supplies. And, of course, the whole operation is hugely dependent on the kindness and dedication of many volunteers.
It’s a sad reflection on a country that there is such a demand for help from foodbanks, but we all know what a hugely important job they do in helping people in desperate need.
A number of new towns and new developments have recently been announced, and one of the locations identified to be considered is the South Bank in the centre of the city.
The change that we have seen there in the last decade or so since the Carlsberg Tetley Brewery closed down has been remarkable. Flats, offices, a new park and now – it seems – the possibility of a lot more.
The site will, of course, have to go through a full assessment and appraisal, but I think we should see this as an opportunity to be seized with both hands. There has to be affordable housing for families given the housing crisis we have and the number of people who have been on the waiting list for a long time, but any chance to move forward on this is to be welcomed.
Some wonderful news for the Middleton Park Avenue area. Through the Pride in Place Programme, the Government will be investing up to £20 million over the next 10 years. The work will be overseen by a neighbourhood board and it’s a huge chance for us to shape the future of the area around Middleton Park Avenue. I can’t wait to see all of this start.
This programme is intended to be flexible and long-term, involving local people in making the decisions. In doing so, it’s drawn on what has been learned from the previous phases of the programme in focusing on smaller areas by targeting local pockets of deprivation which have too often fallen through the cracks.
A Neighbourhood Board will be set up to take this forward. It will be responsible for producing the 10 year vision for the area. The Board for Middleton should bring together residents, local businesses, grassroots campaigners, workplace representatives, faith leaders, the local MP, community leaders and those with a deep connection to the area.
Neighbourhoods will decide how to prioritise funding, based on three core objectives: building stronger communities by helping people to feel proud of their area and safe in their neighbourhood; creating thriving places with a good range of local amenities; and empowering people to take back control.
And finally, and unusually, the money won’t be released until communities have set out what it is they’re wanting to achieve with it.
And finally, as I write these words, I am at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool where this morning I turned the corner to find a Leeds bus parked there.
It’s an electric bus built by Wrightbus in Ballymena in Northern Ireland. I have visited their factory and seen how they are making electric and hydrogen buses for the future. It’s a very impressive place and the new buses bring huge benefits, not least the fact that they are zero emission.
And at a time when there are some people going round saying that we should scrap net zero, that view really does leave me scratching my head when I’ve seen the benefits in terms of investment, jobs and manufacturing that the change to net zero is bringing. This is the way of the future and we really should jump on board!
Hilary Benn is our Member of Parliament. He represents the Leeds South constituency.
Email: hilary.benn.mp@parliament.uk | Website: www.hilarybennmp.com
Constituency office:
Unity Business Centre, 26 Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS7 1AB
Tel: 0113 244 1097
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