Manchester joins campaign asking government to make food a ‘legal right’
Manchester has officially announced its status as a 'Right To Food' city - backing a campaign to change the law and make access to food a legal right for all.
Manchester has officially announced its status as a ‘Right To Food’ city – backing a campaign to change the law and make access to food a ‘legal right’ for all.
According to The Food Foundation, as many as 3.8 million people suffered from food insecurity due to issues such as loss of income or isolation in the early stages of the pandemic.
A survey by Childwise has since claimed that as many as 8.4 million in the UK are experiencing food poverty of some kind.
Driven by this data, the Right To Food campaign is calling on the government to make groundbreaking and potentially lifesaving changes to legislation – whereby every person living in Britain is legally entitled to food.
This week, Manchester City Council has confirmed it is backing the campaign – joining Liverpool in the process – and will be sending a letter to the government outlining its position.
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Councillor Bev Craig said: “Manchester has a proud history of fighting for peoples’ rights and the needs of our communities, not just locally but nationally. The Council is resolute in our believe that ending food poverty is a cause more than worth fighting for.
“We have refreshed our Family Poverty Strategy to reflect the COVID crisis and have supported Mancunians through the Manchester Food Partnership, the Hardship Fund and our Welfare Provision Scheme.”
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Marcus Rashford has played a key role in changing rules on free school meals in England / Image: Wikimedia Commons
The councillor added: “COVID has led to an increase in the levels of poverty across the country and, as a Council, we have been supportive of campaigns to alleviate hardship and reduce poverty such as the campaign to stop the cut to Universal Credit.
“This is why we are joining the call for towns and cities to come together and demand the Government guarantees the right to food and ends the scandal of food poverty.”
Craig also said that the council will continue to offer help wherever it is needed, “only stopping when every single family can access the food they deserve.”
Neighbouring boroughs Oldham and Rochdale have also announced that thousands of local families will get financial help for food during February half term.
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In Oldham, food vouchers of £15 will be made available for each eligible child or young person in the area – meaning over 17,000 individuals will be offered help to get enough food over the half term break.
The council is working with schools and colleges to identify and contact all eligible families, sending out vouchers that can be used at local supermarkets.
Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford – who has been leading the charge for ending food poverty in the UK – has been actively supporting Oldham by pointing residents in the direction of services via his social media.
Oldham families will be receiving food vouchers for over half term.
We’re working with schools and colleges who will issue vouchers to eligible families.
Councillor Arooj Shah, Oldham Council Deputy Leader, said the council will continue to “pressure” the government so that ministers “do not forget Oldham”.
He stated: “In these incredibly difficult times we have managed to secure enough money to ensure our vulnerable children and young people will have vital food supplies.
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“We know that, although this isn’t anywhere near the amount of money needed to support those most in need, particularly with the ongoing impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, this funding will go some way towards ensuring no child in Oldham goes hungry this winter.
“We will therefore continue to pressure central Government to ensure they do not forget Oldham and its residents and call for fair funding for our borough.
“And the council would also like to remind people there are a range of benefits they can apply for to help this winter and that are means tested.”
Rochdale Council has also pledged to provide its local vulnerable residents with support during half-term.
Leader of the council, Councillor Allen Brett, said: “We have stepped in on several occasions now but a properly funded national solution is needed.
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“It shouldn’t take Marcus Rashford forcing regular U-turns – everyone should see the importance of children not being hungry. We’ll keep fighting for families and do whatever we can.”
Councillor Kieran Heakin added: “We’re offering vouchers with extra support in the form of additional food parcels from our food clubs, for families who are struggling, so that there are more options available and immediate emergency help when it’s needed.
“It’s clear that the government system does not work for families and it is about time they listened.”
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
The Manc -
4th February 2021 
