Council tries to evict food bank – despite referring 95% of its users: 'There is nowhere to go'

A showdown looms between a council and a food bank in an area with some of England’s highest child poverty levels, as Islington Council attempts to evict a food bank which it claims is trespassing on its land.

Islington FoodBank says it will have to close if the council’s bid is successful – and that the council, which has come to rely on the food bank, referring 95% of its clients, is employing underhand tactics.

Islington Council says the food bank, which hands out thousands of food parcels every year, has requested additional land – something the food bank’s trustees deny – and will seek a trespass possession order at a court date on 1 July.

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Theresa Debono, trustee of the food bank and former mayor of Islington, told Big Issue: “We would have to close. There is nowhere to go. We can’t afford to pay huge rents.”

“The council isn’t supporting the community at all,” Debono added. “I think it is very heavy handed. I’m very surprised.”

Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader and independent MP for Islington North, told Big Issue: “We should be fighting poverty, not food banks.”

He added: “Food banks are a lifeline for many people in our constituency who live in desperate poverty. They are run by selfless, dedicated people who give up their time to help those in need. They should be supported – as should all those campaigning for a society in which food banks are no longer necessary.”

The food bank has been using the site at Highbury Roundhouse car park, which amounts to a cabin and a storage container, for 10 years to store food for distribution, alongside a newer site at the Highbury Roundhouse where clients turn up to collect food parcels. 

Without this, the food bank’s trustees claim they would not be able to run. Last year, they distributed more than 5,000 food parcels.

Debono said the food bank had an agreement to use the space, but in 2022 the council asked it to sign a license which would have allowed for short-notice eviction. Trustees told Big Issue they were not prepared to do that, and say the council have been uncooperative in finding additional premises.

Islington Council is seeking a trespass possession order, and the food bank has been given a court date of 1 July. If the council is successful, the food bank’s trustees say they could be out of action within a couple of weeks. They told Big Issue they had spent nearly £4,000 on legal fees to fight the case, which could fund their food operations for two weeks.

“We may appear not very nice by saying we can’t move. But it’s because we have to think about these people who depend on us. And there’s loads of people depending on us. Without our services, families may go hungry,” said Debono.

Islington has the fourth highest rate of child poverty in the country, while statistics show that over half of London’s working families use food banks. The widespread need for food banks has been condemned as a basic failure of human rights, while there have been warnings that Labour’s planned benefits cuts will push more towards needing food handouts.

“Unfortunately when they really, really needed to support residents this is not happening,” said Debono of the council’s actions. “We only found out on Saturday that we need to attend the court on 1 July. It looks like a trick to me the way they’ve done it. That means we don’t have enough time to prepare.”

An Islington Council spokesperson said: “We’re committed to supporting groups like Islington Foodbank, and the work that they do to support the most vulnerable people in our borough.  We have therefore worked with the Highbury Roundhouse Association to give the food bank a home in the association’s new community centre. 

“The food bank requested additional storage and parking, and we have offered it a licence to use neighbouring land for an initial period of a year, and on a six-month rolling basis. It’s really important that a licensing agreement is in place for the use of this land to protect both parties, and the council has been discussing this with Islington Foodbank since August 2022. The land may eventually be needed for other purposes over the longer term, but meanwhile we’ve been as flexible as we can.”

Islington Foodbank is part of the Trussell network of food banks. A spokesperson for Trussell told Big Issue: “We’ve reached out to the food bank to see how we can support with this situation and will let you know if we receive further updates.

“Like all food banks in the Trussell community, Islington Foodbank is an independent charity with its own board of trustees and governance procedures. Therefore, the food bank is responsible for managing its own leasing arrangements and Trussell does not have legal responsibility or accountability in these matters.

“We do of course hope a decision can be reached soon and will do all we can to ensure the food bank continues to provide vital services across the borough.”

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