The new low-cost food service aimed at giving struggling Hartlepool families back their dignity

The scheme is aimed at allowing families and individuals with very little disposable income to access weekly food parcels containing fresh goods and essential items.

The project will be operated through Hartlepool Borough Council’s community hubs and look to provide a total of 11,000 meals a week, through 400+ food deliveries, in its first year.The membership scheme, which will give residents access to low-cost, nutritious food and other essentials for a nominal fee, was approved by the council’s Finance and Policy Committee on Monday June 29.

Council leader Coun Shane Moore praised the initiative, stating it will be sustainable for the future and has a proven track record elsewhere in the country.

He said: “Importantly it breaks that level of dependency, it gives people back that level of dignity and being able to look after themselves and to provide for their family and feel like they’re providing for their family and not living off handouts, and I think it’s a great scheme moving forward for us.”

Council officers added they will work with partner organisations to help deliver the scheme and have already had engaged with voluntary groups as part of the Hartlepool Food Network.

Deputy council leader Coun Mike Young said: “I think it’s a great thing that we’re doing. To build a strategy around helping the most needy going forward post Covid is essential.”

The scheme will build on the council’s Hartlepool Support Hub set up at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic to help the town’s most vulnerable.

Coun Paddy Brown said: “I think it’s a really good step forward, especially during and after Covid, but I think as a town we had a need for this anyway.”

The cost of implementing the scheme is expected to be a one off fee of around £125,000 in the first year and then it would become self-sustaining, with the money coming from Covid-19 support funding received from government.

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The new initiative is to be modelled on a scheme operating successfully in Manchester where approximately 1,000 members typically receive food normally worth at least £30 for just £7.

Jill Harrison, council director of adult and community based services, reported it will offer support to those in need, adding residents sometimes feel there is a stigma associated with offers such as food banks.

She said: “The feedback we’ve had from lots of people is that they don’t want it free, they don’t want what they consider charity or consider a handout.

“They want to make a contribution, they want to feel that they’re supporting their own family and supporting themselves, although they do recognise they struggle with that financially.

“[With this scheme]They are actually getting substantially more food for that contribution then they would be able to purchase themselves.”

Once a membership is established links will also be developed with services such as West View Advice and Resource Centre for debt advice, Hartlepower and the Credit Union.

Packing at community hubs will also generate volunteering opportunities, and collecting food could be linked to other services to improve health and wellbeing, according to council chiefs.

Councillors also agreed there needs to be further work done to locate gaps in current services to address other issues around poverty and identify further areas where they could commission support.

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