South Tyneside Council leaders back bold new plan to tackle food waste and promote plant-based vegan options

Debate on the topic included calls for South Tyneside Council to provide more plant based options in local authority buildings and to do more to tackle food waste.

It came after a Labour motion was proposed at the latest borough council meeting seeking to highlight work the council has done to support sustainable food practices to date and to take future steps on the issue.

It called on the council leader to write to other local authorities in the North East region and ask them to join the ‘sustainable food places’ partnership programme and to collaborate with the council and partners in making local food production and consumption more sustainable.

The motion will also see the council write to Daniel Zeichner MP, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, to ask him to outline the Government’s commitments to sustainable food practices.

Labour’s Councillor Ernest Gibson, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and climate change, proposed the motion, which was unanimously approved at the meeting at South Shields Town Hall (on Thursday, September 20).

He said: “Food production at present is estimated to produce a third of the warming gases threatening our planet.

“As such it is time to renew our efforts on a local level and recommit ourselves to the goal of making sustainable healthy food available to all.”

He noted the council has a “proud history” of supporting green initiatives and the local authority has already declared a climate emergency, ocean recovery declaration and ecological emergency.

The meeting heard the South Tyneside Open Collective for Good Food is doing “important work” in this area as a collaborative project between South Tyneside Council, Women’s Health in South Tyneside, Apna Ghar and Hospitality & Hope.

Councillors heard this has also included research and community engagement to draft an appraisal of South Tyneside’s food system overview.

Cllr Gibson added: “Food is a huge part of some of our biggest problems in the borough, be it poverty, biodiversity or obesity.

“Sustainable food is more ethical and can help this council deliver on its aim with regards to achieving net-zero.

“As a council we need to pursue a comprehensive and collaborative approach to promoting and producing sustainable food in the borough.”

Councillor David Francis, Green Group leader on the council, responded by voicing his support for the motion.

He said: “Food sustainability is a very important issue for the borough in terms of health, in terms of food security, and of course in terms of the environment and ecology.”

He also noted in 2021 his party brought forward a motion asking for a food strategy to be created which saw an action plan drawn up and it would be “positive” to receive an update on this.

Labour’s Councillor Jane Carter, deputy council leader, stated an updated document has been drawn up and is available.

She added a “food summit” is to be held on April 2 to bring together key stakeholders from South Tyneside’s local food system and to plan what will happen next and shape future action plans.

Councillor Rachael Taylor, Green Group representative, noted another positive step would be for the local authority to provide more plant based food options in its buildings.

She said: “It would be great to see more plant based things internally in council-run buildings and places like Haven Point.”

Councillor Andrew Guy, South Tyneside Alliance Group representative, stressed ensuring sustainable food practices is an “important” issue and called on the council to look at providing a curbside municipal food waste collection – adding such waste is a “massive problem.”

Meanwhile Labour’s Councillor Councillor Ruth Berkley, lead member for adults, health and independence, praised the work of the voluntary and community sector in South Tyneside around raising awareness of food sustainability.