MD1618 GLA Food Programme 2016-17

1.1 The London Food Board (a non-statutory advisory board) was established in 2004 to lead on food matters in the capital. It advises the Mayor in the delivery of his Food Programme on the implementation of the London Food Strategy under six priority areas which are:
• Ensuring commercial vibrancy;
• Engaging Londoners;
• Levering the power of procurement;
• Developing regional links;
• Delivering healthy schools; and
• Reducing waste.
1.2 The Food Programme benefits from the leadership shown by the Chair of the London Food Board and the Board’s wide ranging and influential membership. The London Food Board adds considerable value to investment on food-related work through thought leadership, network facilitation and levering in additional funding.
1.3 On 17 February 2016 the GLA’s Investment and Programme Board approved in principle the Food Team’s proposed activities in 2016/17 and related expenditure up to £300,000.
1.4 It should be noted that the Food Flagships programme is also delivered by the Food Team as part of the Food Programme. An extension of that budget into 2016/17 is covered by MD1489 so is not discussed in this MD. It is forecast that around £500,000 of the total £1.2 million funding for Food Flagships will be carried forward into 2016/17.

1. The Food Programme in 2016/17 will:

• Support London to have a food system that offers opportunities for food businesses, for people to be trained to enter employment in the food sector, and for food in London to be a positive force for the health, the environment and community cohesion of the city.
• Help London to have a network of safer, highly-engaged communities working together through food growing to improve the quality of life for residents.
• Facilitate London to continue to be a world-class exponent of urban food policy, using the best of private, public and third sectors to make the food system work better for London’s economy, health and environment.
• Deliver multiple interventions across the two Food Flagship Boroughs, Croydon and Lambeth, to implement the recommendations of the School Food Plan and make the food environment in those boroughs heathier for all residents, and to showcase which interventions could best work in other London boroughs
• Continue to highlight food poverty issues in London, to help work towards the Mayor’s commitment to make London a Zero Hunger City by 2020. This will include support for ‘Beyond the Food Bank’ and support for Boroughs to develop Food Poverty Actions Plans.
• Support work to address health inequalities, particularly through identifying opportunities through the upcoming National Childhood Obesity Strategy and working with the Regeneration and Health teams on Healthier High Streets the Healthier Catering Commitment and other policy issues which may emerge.

1. Budget breakdown to deliver the above in 2016/17

*The £30,000 from the Food Programme budget for Healthier High Streets will be matched by £30,000 from the London Regeneration Fund, through the Mayor’s Civic Crowdfunding Pilot Programme. This will ensure at least £60,000 is allocated to projects which will deliver healthy and affordable food to support London’s high streets or places of work.

2.3 It should be noted that Mars Inc. have pledged £60,000 in 2016/17 and £60,000 in 2017/18 towards the Roots to Work programme. ESF funding has also been secured, but this is dependent on further match funding being secured. There is currently a match funding shortfall of £330,000 over the proposed three years of the Roots to Work programme which is currently being sought. If further funding is not secured, a DD will be submitted to set out an alternative proposal for how the funding secured from Mars Inc. will be used.

3.1 Projects under the Food Programme aim to engage as many Londoners as possible and many focus specifically on harder-to-reach groups. Elements of food programme projects which help to meet the needs of people sharing protected characteristics under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 include:
• Capital Growth community food growing project. 82% of Capital Growth’s sites are in the more deprived wards and 42% are in the most deprived wards. 62% of Capital Growth’s sites engage people with a disability, 66% of sites engage people over 60 and 82% engage people under the ages of 16. Delivery partners continuously work to engage with different population groups including those with protected characteristics.

• In 2016/17 one area of focus is food poverty, both through supporting ‘Beyond the Food Bank’ and the Food Access Borough Support project. More than 2.3 million Londoners live below the poverty line, often just one small crisis away from being able to afford an adequate diet and these work areas are aiming to help address the issue of food poverty for those Londoners.

• The Food Programme is aiming to help address health inequalities in London through the Healthier High Streets project. Londoners experience stark and unacceptable differences in their well-being and length of life. Access to good food is identified as an issue in many areas of London – which can have a significant impact on health inequalities.

• Good Jobs in Food works predominantly with people aged 18-24, including many NEETs, and with major employers to highlight the range of careers which are available across London’s food economy, providing jobs, work placements and apprenticeships

• Food Flagships Boroughs project (Croydon and Lambeth) all work directly with school-age people to improve their health and attainment by changing the food environment.

3.2 We will put in place mechanisms to help us continuously review the potential to make our existing and emerging projects advance equality of opportunity for groups which have characteristics noted in the equality Act.

Key risks and issues

a. The GLA will manage the overall operational aspects of the programmes, using its standard corporate approach to project management. To facilitate a possible change in strategy under a new Mayor, there will be break clauses in the funding agreements. Risks are outlined below:

b. In terms of Mayoral Strategies, individual projects will contribute towards:
• The Mayor’s Jobs and Growth Plan
• Implementation of all the priorities of the Mayor’s Food Strategy: Healthy and Sustainable Food for London
• A major contribution to the Team London objectives to encourage and enable Londoners to volunteer in their communities
• Food-related elements of the Health Inequalities Strategy particularly on childhood obesity and food access.
• Economic Development Strategy – food is major employer and offers significant training and apprenticeship potential as well as high potential to increase business start-ups and innovation
• The London Plan, including policies on land for food, and emerging Supplementary Planning Guidance documents on lifetime neighbourhoods and access to fresh food

Impact assessments and Consultations

c. As part of the development process of the London Food Programme in 2016/17 the Food Team undertook desk based research and consultation with both internal and external partners. This is to ensure that the Food Programme interventions reflect the needs of different London population groups, including but not limited to: people on low incomes who may be experiencing food poverty; schoolchildren who need access to a healthy diet to enable them to learn and develop their full potential, new and expectant mothers on low incomes who wish to increase consumption of fruit and vegetables; young people who are looking to find their way into employment; older people who may be engaged through the Programme’s community growing focus, amongst others.
d. The Food Programme will continue to work closely with works in partnership with the GLA Regeneration and Health teams. This will ensure that interventions under the Food Programme complement and maximise the impacts of ongoing programmes of work undertaken by these teams, such as work on high streets and health inequalities.

5.1 Approval is being sought for expenditure towards the 2016/17 Food Programme’s projects and staffing of up to £360,000 and for the receipt of external funding as outlined in the main body of this report and endorsed by the IPB paper.

5.2 The approved gross budget for this programme is £360,000 with £60,000 forecast to be externally matched funded. The net funding from GLA Food Programme budget will be £300,000, as illustrated in the project budget breakdown provided by the Food Team in 2.2.

5.3 Officers are advised to request written confirmation of external funding prior to committing expenditure upon the allocated funds.

5.4 Funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) has been secured, subject to further external match funding. Currently £120,000 has been committed by Mars UK split 50/50 between 2016/17 and 2017/18 towards the Roots to Work programme and the Food Programme Team has estimated a match funding shortfall of £330k over the proposed three year period. An alternative proposal will be presented to utilise the agreed funding should further funding not be confirmed.

5.5 External funding for some projects have yet to be confirmed and the Food and Sponsorship Teams are working together to secure the proposed match funding. Consultation with external providers is also taking place to secure additional funding / in kind support. In the event of match funding not being secured, projects will be scaled down.

5.6 All required budget adjustments will be made and any changes to the proposal must be subject to further approval via the Authority’s decision-making process.

6.1 Under section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the ‘Act’) the Mayor, acting on behalf of the GLA, is entitled to do anything that he considers will further the promotion, within Greater London, of economic development and wealth creation, social development and the improvement of the environment.

6.2 Furthermore, section 34 of the Act allows the GLA, acting by the Mayor, to do anything that is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of any functions of the GLA exercisable by the mayor.

6.3 The various projects comprising the 2016/17 food programme serve to highlight and seek to redress food poverty in Greater London and promoting food growing in Greater London as a way of fostering greater cohesiveness in the local community (see paragraph 2.1 above). In light of this, the approval of expenditure for various projects in the 2016/17 Food Programme may be viewed as calculated to facilitate social and economic development in Greater London.

6.4 As regards the GLA’s granting of funding to boroughs and other stakeholders as part of the 2016/17 food programme, the officers are reminded that the funding must be distributed fairly, transparently and in accordance with the GLA’s equalities obligations (paragraph 6.4 of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code).

6.5 The officers are reminded that any procurements by the GLA of goods, services or supplies as part of the food programme related projects must comply with the requirements of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code.

Staffing – GLA Food Team

8.1 The Food Team (Two full time staff members plus one member of staff funded from the Food Flagships budget) will continue to oversee the delivery of the programme with support from teams across the GLA. The Food Programme has synergies with many policy areas and the team has built a strong collaborative approach across EBPU and more broadly across City Hall. The team supports the effective running of the London Food Board which advises the Mayor on food issues through the chair of the Board, Rosie Boycott.
London Food Board

8.2 London Food Board will continue to be supported and will also use a small part of the budget to fund an application for London to receive silver Sustainable Food City Award. This national award is designed to recognise and celebrate the success of those places taking a joined up, holistic approach to food and that are achieving significant positive change on a range of key food issues. The publication of ‘Capital of Food’ in March 2016 will be used as a basis for this application. The budget for London Food Board will also cover events involving the Board throughout the year and small scale support for external initiatives supported by the Board such as the Healthier Catering Commitment.
Capital Growth (and Food Growing Schools London (FGSL))

8.3 The Food Programme will continue to support the delivery of the Capital Growth programme, and activities will focus on expanding the skills, jobs and enterprise elements of the programme. Investment in Capital Growth in 2016/17 will also complement the proposed Roots to Work programme discussed in paragraph 5.24.
8.4 Although further funding will not be provided to FGSL we will support the programme through hosting two Schools Marketplaces in City Hall and will continue to sit on the Steering Group and Project Board.
8.5 The Food Programme will continue to engage Sustain – the alliance for better food and farming - in the delivery of Capital Growth.
Good Food for London and Beyond the Food Bank: London Food Poverty Profile

8.6 The Food Programme will continue to be a partner in and part-funder of the annual Good Food for London Report, published by Sustain. In addition, the programme will make a small contribution towards the 2nd annual edition of ‘Beyond the Food Bank: London Food Poverty Profile. The first edition was launched at City Hall in October 2015 and highlights how boroughs could work differently on a range of initiatives to help tackle food poverty.
Urban Food Awards

8.7 The Food Programme will once again profile the excellence of London’s small food and drink producers by holding the Urban Food Awards. This year the GLA will partner with Borough Market to deliver the awards, and additional sponsorship will be sought from commercial partners. It is hoped that the Evening Standard will once again be engaged as official media partner.
Good Jobs in Food

8.8 This work is delivered in partnership with the British Hospitality Association (BHA) and their charity sector partner Springboard. It uses the BHA’s Big Hospitality Conversation to create jobs and apprenticeships as well as providing work placements.
8.9 The Food Programme will build upon its partnership with the BHA and Springboard and host a third City Hall edition of the Big Hospitality Conversation, aiming for Pledges of 1,000 new jobs, apprenticeships, and work placements in London’s hospitality sector generated by City Hall event.
Healthier High Streets

8.10 This project will build on both the Healthier Catering Commitment (which aims to make food outlets healthier) and Urban Food Routes which provides support for food SMEs (see paragraph 5.7).
8.11 The Food Programme will partner with the Mayor’s High Street Fund Civic Crowdfunding programme to deliver a specific ‘Food and markets strand’ of the programme. Criteria will be included in the 2016/17 prospectus which ensures that any food businesses applying have a healthy food offer and are located in areas of need. Those projects which score highest via the Mayor’s High Street Fund crowdfunding pilot programme, using the online civic crowdfunding platform Spacehive will receive Mayoral Pledges in the form of match funding.
Food Access Borough Support

8.12 According to ‘Beyond the Food Bank: London Food Poverty Profile 2015’, more than 2.3 million Londoners live below the poverty line, often just one small crisis away from being able to afford an adequate diet. Local authorities play a key role in maximising family incomes, minimising the cost of living and ensuring that local services meet the needs of families struggling to make ends meet. However, only four London Boroughs currently have food poverty action plans.
8.13 This project will support at least five London Boroughs to produce food poverty action plans to help ensure a coordinated approach to addressing food poverty and access. The Food Team will procure an expert to support and work with the successful boroughs (who will apply to the GLA) to produce plans.
8.14 The Food Team is in conversation with external organisations with an aim to secure match funding for this programme in order to increase the number of boroughs that could be supported.
Roots to Work

8.15 The Food Team has developed a three-year pan-London project to use the London’s extensive food growing network to help volunteers gain skills, training and qualifications in food growing and horticulture, as well as basic skills to help them progress further into further training and into employment.
8.16 The project bid has secured European Social Fund (ESF) funding to be granted if match funding of a further £300,000 is secured. Mars UK have committed a total of £120,000 towards that, split between 2016/17 and 2017/18. The Food Team is working with the Sponsorship Team to identify additional match funding to enable the project to go ahead.
8.17 If it is able to secure match funding the project will be delivered by the GLA Delivery Team with sector-expert support from the Food Team.
Public Health Food Support

8.18 Since November 2015 the Health Team has funded a Public Health Consultant to support the Food Team two days per week. This consultant has particularly supported on Food Flagships which aim to tackle obesity and type 2 diabetes. The Public Health Consultant has proved invaluable on Food Flagships and on supporting the wider public health issues associated with food – and has led on the development of the Food Flagships public health evaluation.
8.19 The National Childhood Obesity Strategy was due to be launched in March 2016 but due to delays it will not now be launched until summer 2016. As there is no current public health expert working on food at the GLA, a small amount of the Food Programme budget will be used to contract public health support later in the year at an appropriate time – most likely to support the team once the Childhood Obesity Strategy is launched.