THE creation of a new post to tackle food poverty will be “critical” in helping York families battle the cost of living crisis, according to council chiefs.

The new job will help increase access to food, cut food waste and help to coordinate existing networks in the city already working on the problem.

It comes after the council passed a motion in October last year calling for action in supporting York residents’ ‘right to food’, which is a human right according to the United Nations.

There was an increase of almost 20 per cent in the number of food parcels provided through the local Trussell Trust foodbank network in York between 2020-2021.

Denise Craghill, executive member for housing and community safety, said: “The pressure on many people to choose between paying fuel bills, eating or other basics is almost certainly going to get more acute in the coming months.”

The York Food Justice Alliance already brings together a network of grassroots food groups and volunteers, and it is hoped the new post will help boost their work and provide a link between council and voluntary support, such as food banks.

Cllr Craghill added: “Hopefully this post can help to join up the dots between informal and more formal networks, and really help to scale up the operation to meet growing needs – repurposing more waste supermarket food, but also providing more food to people who are in immediate need.”

The new community involvement officer will be based in the council’s communities team.

The total cost will be £39,000 for one year, which will be funded through the existing 2021/22 emergency York financial assistance fund.

The council will learn from similar schemes in place elsewhere in the country and will work alongside the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

A council report stated: “It is hoped that rapid progress will be made in this area which will be critical at a time when Covid funding streams are due to end and ahead of next winter which will be even more difficult for many families.”

When the motion was first passed, the council also agreed: to allocate individual responsibility for tackling food poverty to a named executive member; to support the setting up of a food partnership to bring together local stakeholders; and to create more community kitchens in council-run buildings.