Interview with Martin Walmsley – City of Lincoln Council & North Kesteven District Council
We’re all experiencing the cost of living to a greater or lesser extent, but we’re now hearing in the news that the cheapest foods have risen the most in price, and therefore the people on the lowest budgets have experienced the biggest price rises.
I spoke with Martin Walmsley from the City of Lincoln Council about what impact that is having in Lincoln, and how the council is responding.
Can you give us an update on the emergency food situation here in Lincoln?
Martin: Demands for emergency food are really high and show no signs of slowing down since the Lincoln Foodbank report that you highlighted in May last year.
What happened was that during the Covid pandemic, costs – not just for food, but fuel and other areas – increased significantly. We saw huge rises in referrals to foodbanks, especially among households with children.
Child food poverty became a really key issue.
Demands on our teams at the council who are trying to offer support are high, and partners around the city say exactly the same thing – there’s no sign of change and they’re very worried about this winter.
Donations to Foodbanks continue to be so important, all year round.
What about nutrition? Many foodbanks offer long-life foods. That’s practical for them and for the people receiving food parcels – but so often coincides with ultra-processed and less healthy foods – does that matter?
Martin: Nutrition matters massively.
The reports we’re seeing locally and nationally are showing the importance of good nutrition to aiding learning and attainment for children, as well as physical and mental health.
Also, healthy food CAN be cheaper than fast foods. Organisations such as the Lincoln Community Grocery stock a range of fresh vegetables, which change from one week to the next depending on what’s available.
Organisations, such as GoGro CIC, are going out to communities to show innovative ways to prepare healthy and exciting meals at low cost.
What is the City of Lincoln Council doing to help improve the situation for people in Lincoln?
Martin: Obviously we’re dependent on funding, whether from national or local sources.
At the moment, for example, all new tenants who are placed in housing by the City of Lincoln Council receive a £20 voucher for the Lincoln Community Grocery. That covers one year membership plus three shops as well.
That introduces them to the Grocery, which might keep them from needing a referral for emergency food through the foodbanks. Hopefully they’ll like what they see.
As well as a lower cost mainstream shop, people can also access debt advice, job clubs and other things that the grocery offers.
The Council has Cost of-Living Support Team (email costofliving@lincoln.gov.uk) and Welfare Team (01522 873382, email welfare@lincoln.gov.uk) that offers debt, benefit and money advice, and there’s also Citizens Advice based at City Hall. We can signpost people to local food support – including Lincoln Community Larder, the Trussell Trust Foodbanks, the Mosque Foodbank, the Community Grocery, Mint Lane Cafe & Wellbeing Hub and the Salvation Army who provide hot food. (Check out our food support map for links and details)
The City of Lincoln Council is a Real Living Wage employer. What has that got to do with this?
Martin: Firstly, the City of Lincoln Council is really committed to this, and has a specific portfolio Councillor leading on reducing inequality in the city – that’s a real focus for the Council.
The Council recognises that the minimum staff need to live on is more than the National Living Wage.
The Real Living Wage is a higher rate, calculated by the national Living Wage Foundation. That’s what the council pays, it helps the council staff to live well, and helps with morale and staff retention.
Employers can check out the Lincoln Social Responsibility Charter – there are over 100 businesses now signed up.
That Charter promotes the great work that so many businesses do in the city, and we help publicise it when they do good things.
The Council is working with a range of partners and organisations to review our anti-poverty strategy, which ensures that we’re working together to deliver effective responses to food poverty.
One of the things that we, at the Food Partnership, hear from foodbanks is that, increasingly, people are referred to them who are in full time work.
That’s a really important point, and is something we’re seeing more and more.
Indicatively, the demands that are coming to our Cost of Living Team at the council is pretty much 50:50 between people who are in work and people who aren’t.
It wasn’t that high a few years ago.
Factors such as the cost of living, and people’s mortgage rates coming to an end, means we’re seeing people presenting for the first time, because their incomes are suddenly squeezed.
What is the City of Lincoln Council’s message to people in Lincoln?
The Council recognises what’s going on, and how much residents are struggling at the moment.
Our message to anyone who is struggling would be: don’t bury your head in the sand, don’t try to deal with things alone.
Do get in touch – there is a great range of organisations across Lincoln coming up with a range of solutions to help people out – both in emergencies, and longer term.
Aside from food support, there are wellbeing hubs in the City, for example Bridge Central, where people can go and not feel isolated and can talk about the problems they’re facing.
Don’t struggle on alone.
Our message to people who are not struggling, but who want to be part of the solution or who want to act in solidarity:
Donations to foodbanks are important all year round; individuals and businesses can network and partner with organisations that are already active in Lincoln – look up what’s near you – or get in touch directly: Martin.Walmsley@lincoln.gov.uk
Martin Walmsley is Assistant Director for Shared Revenue & Benefits, at City of Lincoln & North Kesteven Council, and is on the Greater Lincolnshire Food Partnership Advisory Board
This article was published in the Lincoln Independent, September 2024
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