Letters to the editor: No Londoner should go hungry

Many food banks in our London network work with businesses to redistribute surplus food
Matt Writtle
20 September 2016
WEST END FINAL

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It beggars belief that in one of the wealthiest cities in the world, large amounts of good food are being wasted while so many families go hungry (“Wasted food: we have the answer”, September 19).

There are several charities that work tremendously hard to deliver food to those in greatest need. Credit must go to supermarkets too for recognising the extent to which good food is wasted throughout their supply chains. But still the vast majority of this food evades these charities’ rescue attempts.

The Government could do more through the tax system to incentivise the diversion of this food to the hungry. But this could take time and we need immediate action.

I have written to the Mayor asking him to put rocket boosters behind school breakfast clubs, free meal and fun provision for children during the school holidays, and also social supermarkets, which sell groceries at a third of their retail price and provide accompanying help with budgeting, cooking and looking for work. If he were to pursue such a programme, London could perhaps become the world’s first hunger-free city.
Frank Field, Labour MP for Birkenhead and chair of Feeding Britain

Many food banks in our London network work with businesses to redistribute surplus food. However, food banks and other charities are not the solution to food waste — they require different responses. Food banks do not have the capacity to deal with large quantities of perishable food, and using surplus food to feed people in poverty does not address the issues that leave families without a financial buffer.

We need businesses, politicians and charities to address why such vast amounts of food go to waste as well as ensuring a financial safety net is in place for vulnerable citizens.
Anne Danks, operations manager, The Trussell Trust

Food donations from supermarkets will serve as nothing more than a sticking plaster if the underlying causes of the food crisis are not tackled.

The main reason for people attending Tower Hamlets food bank is due to a delay in benefits being paid to claimants. In the six months leading up to May 2016 we helped 39 people reclaim £86,134 of benefits they were entitled to.

The people we meet do not want to rely on food banks — they want to buy their own food. But until people can afford to live sustainably and thrive, they have no choice.
Denise Bentley, CEO and co-founder, First Love Foundation

Go ahead with the Rotherhithe bridge

We applaud the Mayor’s backing for the proposed cycling and pedestrian bridge between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf. In his manifesto, Sadiq Khan pledged to “break down some of the city’s physical barriers” with the bridge —now we want to see what progress has been made in moving forward with its construction.

There are 32 bridges across the Thames in London to the west of Tower Bridge but only one to the east. This proposal will bridge the gap between our constituents north and south of the river, enabling thousands of trips a day while also easing overcrowding on the Jubilee line.

We believe the proposed bridge could be buildable by 2020 but we must make progress now.
London Labour MPs Heidi Alexander, Neil Coyle, Jim Fitzpatrick, Vicky Foxcroft and Matthew Pennycook

Give Gatwick more train lines anyway

In your article (“May’s local council vows court fight if she backs new Heathrow runway”, September 16) reference is made to the “devastating impact” on Southern rail services if Gatwick is given the go-ahead for runway expansion. But is there not a strong case for increasing the number of train routes to Gatwick anyway?

Currently only 40 per cent of passengers travel to and from Gatwick by train, with the rest going by car. There is surely no better way to change this by ensuring that Gatwick gets its own spur line.
Neil Salt, chair, Streatham Action Transport

Drivers on phones are a real danger

After the recent debate regarding the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving, I thought I would look out for drivers texting or talking while on my cycle ride into work on Monday morning — I counted seven between Finchley and Highbury Corner. Presumably there were many more that I didn’t see.

These people are putting their social lives or trivial conversations that could easily wait ahead of the safety of cyclists and pedestrians. What can the authorities do to stop them?
Mark Walford

Sewell is still sadly missed by many

It was a year ago this week that Brian Sewell, the late Evening Standard art critic, passed away. He is missed by many as he was marvellous in his professional role and was admired for his refreshing honesty.

Brian and I had a long-lasting, close friendship, and even though a year has passed he is still deeply missed by his friends and readers.
Valerie Braithwaite

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