Scandal of Families Going Hungry in ‘Affluent’ Guildford

Published on: 5 Jun, 2019
Updated on: 6 Jun, 2019

By Rebecca Curley

local democracy reporter

Children suffering from hunger during the school holidays; mums skipping meals to feed their little ones; poor parents forced to buy food instead of heating; families ashamed of having to rely on food banks.

Guildford is considered an affluent borough, say councillors, but an “eye-opening” report this week into food poverty reveals these devastating experiences are happening in the heart of Guildford and the surrounding villages.

The borough has four of the most deprived neighbourhoods in England, with Westborough, Stoke, Worplesdon and Ash Wharf measuring inequalities and levels of poverty. In three of the neighbourhoods, more than 25% of the children are considered to be living in poverty.

“There is no postcode lottery when it comes to food poverty,” said Liberal Democrat councillor Angela Goodwin as she presented the report to Guildford Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday (June 4). “Poverty affects people from all walks of life.”

In a room packed with current and former councillors, experts on poverty and benefits, residents and campaigners, the “sobering” examination of Guildford’s food poverty and food insecurity problems was laid out.

The report, by a task group set up in 2017, recommended that the council draws up a strategy and action plan, working with academics and experts to find long-term solutions.

But the report also highlighted not only problems with benefits as a huge cause of food poverty but that families with both parents working were also struggling to pay for food.

Cllr Goodwin, who headed the task group, said people in the borough are considered “asset-rich” but many are “cash-poor”, adding that they found experiences of people living hand to mouth in various groups of family set-ups.

There are two food banks in the borough with almost 2,000 food parcels distributed to households in 2017-18. This was expected to rise in 2018-19.

The need for food banks has existed for years. this photo was taken at the North Guildford Food Bank in 2013.

Holiday hunger, where school-age children are experiencing food insecurity during the holidays, was also identified in Guildford.

A scheme run by the charity CHIPS (believed to stand for Children’s Holiday Inclusive Play Scheme) has been set up in Westborough and Stoke wards providing free lunches to children in the area. Fifty to 60 children accessed the food programme each day it was operating last year.

And councillors on the task group found there is still a stigma attached to food poverty with parents feeling shame and failure to provide for their children.

For many, using emergency food aid was the impact of a short-term crisis, such as a problem with benefit payments, sickness, breakdown of a kitchen appliance or a purse or wallet being stolen. But high food prices and rising costs of living also contributed.

Cllr Pauline Searle

The task group criticised the council for not spending all of its Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) it was entitled to from central government. This is money available for tenants with social or private landlords.

Cllr Pauline Searle, Lib Dem, praised the “exceptional” work of CHIPS. She said: “But there are still many less-advantaged children all over the borough both in urban and rural areas who don’t have access to holiday play schemes which provide that essential free meal in the day.”

Cllr Angela Gunning

Labour councillor Angela Gunning said: “The existence of hidden poverty in an affluent borough was an eye-opener. We have to understand the shame that some people feel going to a food bank. We learned of Guildford residents going to Woking and Woking residents going to Guildford so they don’t have to be identified.”

The report was hailed as “opening the door” for GBC to work on its own solution to the problems.

The report will be presented to full council in July and then the Executive for recommendations and ways forward.

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