UPROAR ensued at Carlisle City Council this week after a proposal which would have made access to food a legal right was rejected.

Deputy leader of the Labour Group Lisa Brown proposed that Carlisle be declared a Right to Food city at full council on Tuesday.

The motion would make access to good quality food a legal right to residents. It is designed to tackle food insecurity and mitigate the impact of a tough financial period for struggling families.

Cllr Brown works at Carlisle Community Help, an affordable food hub and was involved in efforts during lockdown to support the most vulnerable families, seeing food insecurity first hand.

She said: "It's just really close to my heart because I spent two years doing something that I didn't ever realise I was going to have to do.

"I can see it from all angles whether its that people can't get transport to get food, they're stuck... the Government parcels they sent out weren't targeted properly half of them were actually donated back to us.

"Councillor Higgs used to bring them and we would re-distribute them and make sure they got to over places so it's a joined-up thinking and it's a better way of working for the future."

It also proposed that Carlisle signs the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration.

But Conservative councillors and Liberal Democrat member Trevor Allison raised concerns about the proposal

Cllr Elizabeth Mallinson said: "It is very long, it's convoluted and a little bit of brevity here and succinctness would have gone a long way.

"This council over many many years both administrations have worked for Sustainable Food, Healthy City, Sugar Free and Just Food throughout the time I have been a councillor here.

"So the city has done a tremendous amount of good to alleviate food poverty. There is need there is no question there is need."

But Cllr Mallinson said that there is instead an urgent need to educate on issues like healthy eating and how food is produced.

She said: "I work very hard along with everyone else in this chamber to support people that are in this position but if you want to see real poverty I suggest you go to the third world."

Conservative members were concerned about the impact of the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration on Carlisle's farmers so Cllr Brown decided to amend the motion, taking the item out.

However the motion was still defeated 15 for, 18 against and one abstention.

Labour councillor Peter Sunter said: "'Convoluted and long', some things need to be in order to get the job done.

"One of the things that is obvious is that some people in this chamber are trying to find any excuse not to make sure that children don't go hungry.

"We've been told that the numbers are going down. Yes they're going down, what was the last number we got? 4,469. Is that acceptable, in 2021? No child should be going hungry, no child should be in want and that's what this motion is about its trying to make sure those children in those families are looked after that they have a right to that food.

"Are we really against that in Carlisle?"