News
Warehouse search featured in the Derbyshire times
16th August 2024
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Clay Cross Foodbank currently stores its food stock in a warehouse in Holmewood which is owned by Derbyshire County Council. Until this year, the premises were rent-free with the charity paying for services and maintenance.
But the cash-strapped council has imposed a rent of £6,325 for the current year with the bill rising to £12,650 next year and £25,295, a commercial market rent, in 2026.
Anne Tipple, who chairs Clay Cross Foodbank and is a volunteer, said: “We are a foodbank funded entirely by donations, the rents they are asking for are totally impossible.
“And it’s very short sighted – we close and the council is going to have to pick up the fall-out if they don’t want families going hungry.”
The foodbank has been operating for 12 years during which nearly 12,000 food poverty vouchers have been met and around 30,000 people have been fed including more than 12,000 children. A sister initiative – the Everyday Food Scheme (EFS) – has fed more than 10,000 people.
Foodbank sessions are held twice a week at St Batholomew’s on Tuesday and at The Community of Christ Church in Clay Cross on Friday. The EFS takes place at The Community of Christ Church on Wednesday.
The county council notified the foodbank in 2023 that rent would be charged for the warehouse. Anne said: “We got the letter on November 23rd which said we either paid up or vacated the premises at the end of the year, that meant we had a month during which there was Christmas and the holidays to find the money.
“We panicked and worried what would happen to our clients if we were not able to help them, especially in the current cost of living crisis. So, we urgently fund raised and managed to get a grant to cover this year.
“We are now looking for alternative warehouse accommodation – and with less than five months to go we are desperate.
“What we need is a warehouse between 2000 and 2500 sq ft within three miles of Clay Cross with an affordable rent, or a company prepared to partner with us, support us and help pay ongoing costs.
“We have been working hard and exploring alternative solutions, but have so far drawn a blank. The truth is that unless we have somewhere to store our food stocks we cannot continue to support the families who live in some of the district’s most deprived areas.”
A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “For many years we have been able to let the foodbank use the building for nothing, but due to the financial challenges we are facing, we are no longer in a position to do this.
“We provided the group with as much advance notice as possible that we will need to start charging them rent and implemented a phased-in agreement which still provided them with a significant discount for the first few years.
“We do understand that the group provide a much appreciated service for the area but unfortunately we are no longer able to provide free properties to foodbanks or any other charity, so we are just trying to be equitable and fair using the resources we have available.”
*Anyone who can offer the foodbank a warehouse should email: [email protected] or call 07899 878398.
https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/we-are-a-foodbank-funded-entirely-by-donations-the-rents-that-derbyshire-county-council-is-asking-for-are-totally-impossible-4735850