Barking and Dagenham Council has secured £222,000 through the government’s Good Food Neighbourhoods programme, which will help build on work already underway to tackle food insecurity and poverty across the borough.

The funding is part of a wider £10 million being invested in 45 communities across England to improve access to healthy and affordable food. Each participating local authority will receive £222,000 to develop solutions that respond to local needs. 

The funding comes at an important time for Barking and Dagenham. A council cost of living survey found that around one in four residents had gone without eating for at least a day because they could not afford or access food. 

The council will use the funding to build on the borough’s Good Food Plan with community and voluntary sector partners to improve access to affordable, healthy food, and support residents with practical help around menus and food budgeting.

The new funding will provide an opportunity to expand and strengthen community food projects and initiatives in the borough, helping more residents access good food while supporting longer-term action to tackle the underlying causes of food insecurity and poverty.

The news follows the recent launch of the Big Heart Food Hub, a new food redistribution centre in Barking bringing together charities and community organisations to redistribute surplus food to foodbanks and other organisations supporting residents experiencing hardship. The council is supporting the hub by providing a council-owned warehouse and helping coordinate the organisations involved.

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said: “No one should have to choose between putting food on the table and paying their bills. Sadly, we know that for too many people in our borough, this is the reality.

“That is why this funding is so important. It will help us build on the work we are already doing with our community partners to make sure residents can access good, affordable food, while also looking at longer-term ways we can tackle poverty and food insecurity.

“The recent launch of the Big Heart Food Hub is a great example of what we can achieve when the council, charities and community organisations come together. This funding gives us another opportunity to build on our work and reach even more people who need support.”

The council already works with community organisations, charities and local partners to provide food support, community food clubs, cooking programmes and other cost of living support across the borough. The Good Food Neighbourhoods Programme funding will support the council to develop this work further and help create a more resilient local food system, with decisions shaped around the needs of Barking and Dagenham residents.

For more information on the borough’s Good Food Plan, visit https://bdopportunities.org/bd-does-business/food/