By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
Councillors and health leaders have called for urgent action over food poverty in Nottinghamshire.
Around 38,000 adults in the county said they have gone a whole day without eating because they couldn’t afford it, according to the most recent statistics from July 2023.
A total of 111,000 households had doubts about how they would get food – nearly double the number from the previous year.
The figures, which show the continuing impact of the cost of living crisis, were discussed by Nottinghamshire County Council’s health and wellbeing board on Wednesday (March 13).
Sarah Collis, Chair of Healthwatch Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said: “It’s shameful to know what citizens in our area are going through. Food poverty is a gateway to a whole lot of other pain.”
Councillor Penny Gowland (Labour) described the food poverty as a “problem of inequality.”
“Some people can afford to give £10m to a political party and others can’t eat.”
There are striking geographic differences in food insecurity across the county, with Mansfield highlighted as hotspot.
The number of adults with food insecurity in each district and borough is:
Ashfield – 29.1 per cent
Bassetlaw – 29.9 per cent
Broxtowe – 5.6 per cent
Gedling – 2.9 per cent
Mansfield – 53.1 per cent
Newark & Sherwood – 16.7 per cent
Rushcliffe – 0 per cent
Nottinghamshire county – 19.5 per cent
Councillor Caroline Ellis (Lab), who represents a Mansfield ward, said she has seen firsthand the growing need at food clubs and food banks.
“We are getting a lot of working poor – people who are using credit cards to pay bills, but running out of food,” she said.
“We’re noticing people smoking more because it stops them from getting hungry. They will have a cigarette or vape instead of food.”
Healthy Start is one national scheme aiming to tackle the problem, with free payments to spend on milk, fruit and vegetables and formula milk.
However, only around 70 per cent of Nottinghamshire people who are eligible (pregnant women and parents of children under four on certain benefits) are currently claiming it.
It’s recommended that the council develop and support local food partnerships to address food insecurity, working in collaboration with businesses.
Fuel poverty was also raised as an issue that is affecting the health of many worse-off residents in Nottinghamshire.
