Time for Food Justice!

East Sussex Branch met in November and committed ourselves to supporting the Co-op Party's national campaign around Food Poverty.   The Party is asking local members to commit to five areas of campaign activity: 

TAKE INSPIRATION FROM COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO FOOD POVERTY:

Excitingly, communities are developing and designing their own responses to food poverty, and many have a co-operative ethos.

With a topic as vast as food poverty it can be overwhelming knowing where to begin in your own community and having an awareness of what others are doing can help. Here are some practical suggestions for your local community:  more details on each can be found by clicking here

• Set up an Incredible Edible
• Support community produce and local markets 
• Grow the community and co-operative allotment movement 
• Explore Buy local and Buy Social initiatives 
• Embrace Fairtrade policy and status 
• Start a Community Fridge (already two established in Eastbourne- at Devonshire West and Langney- see here)
• Look into an Affordable Food Box scheme 
• Start a Community Kitchen

WORK WITH YOUR LOCAL FOOD PARTNERSHIP (or set one up!): 

There are many successful food partnerships alliances across the country.

Sustain and Feeding Britain both support and encourage them - you can see their maps showing coverage here and here.   Eastbourne has an established Food Partnership which you can find out about here,  whilst Hastings' can be contacted here

If your area has a food partnership then a lead member for food poverty is ideally placed to work closely with them. Where there is not yet a food partnership, a lead member for food poverty would be well placed to convene one.

GET A MEASURE OF THE PROBLEM:

We welcome the recent victory of campaigners in persuading the Government to measure food insecurity nationally, but frustratingly there is little granular evidence of the extent of hunger at a local level.

Councils, community leaders and Co-operative Party members can play an important role in pulling together what data there is and looking at new ways to measure the scale of the problem which will shape their responses to it.

Typically, measuring the scale of the problem would form part of developing a Food Action Plan. However, there are forms of food mapping which can be done with limit resources and can be done irrespective of whether you intend to develop an Action Plan.

WORK WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT OR OTHER ORGANISATIONS TO DRAW UP A FOOD ACTION PLAN:

Food Action Plans (or strategies) address food poverty bringing together what statutory agencies and the community, voluntary and social enterprise (VSCE) sectors offer by way of expertise and practical action.

In many cases they have come about due to a particular crisis, but they generally also deal with longer term structural issues.

Food Action Plans come in all shapes and sizes. Some are developed by the council and may sit inside a broader anti-poverty plan, others by the community or the Food Alliance and are community-owned. Some are backed by an extensive evidence base, others focus on practical steps. We make no recommendation as to what is the best approach given that the needs and resources for each area are hugely different, but we do believe that it is important to put a plan together.

You can download a model Local Food Action Plan from Sustain by clicking here

GET YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL TO DESIGNATE A LEAD MEMBER FOR FOOD JUSTICE:

At present food poverty is often split between directorates and portfolios within local authorities, despite being a growing problem.

Half of councils do not have a dedicated lead member for food poverty, yet we know that having a named person brings focus and attention to any topic. That is why we suggest that councils should consider adding the explicit responsibility for food poverty to a lead member's portfolio.

According to our research, councils which have a single lead member for food were far more likely to work closely with a local food alliance, partnership or network. That's one other reason we think designating a lead member with responsibility for food justice is an important first step for councils seeking to tackle hunger in their area.  If your local council has not yet done this, please lobby your councillor.

Find out more about the Co-operative Party's national campaign around Food Justice by clicking here to visit the campaign website. 

Next Branch Meeting: 19th January

The next meeting of the East Sussex Branch of the Co-operative Party will be held on Saturday 19th January, commencing at 11.00am at the RAF Association, Wish Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4NX. (Please note that the meeting room is up one flight of stairs) (map)  

A G E N D A

1. Apologies for Absence

2. Minutes of the Previous Meeting and any Matters arising

3. Reports:

• Membership
• Finance
• Constituency Labour Parties
• Party Council

4. LOCAL ELECTIONS

5. EVENTS: Film Showing, and Fairtrade Fortnight

6. Any other Business

We will be staying for lunch afterwards, and all members are warmly invited to join us.  

Fairtrade Fortnight!

A big thank you to all who came along to our Fairtrade Coffee Morning with Bexhill Fairtrade on Saturday 10th March.

Fair Trade Coffee Morning

In partnership with Bexhill Fairtrade, the East Sussex Branch will be hosting a Fairtrade Coffee Morning to mark Fairtrade Fortnight 2018.

This will be at St Mary Magadalene Church Hall, Sea Road, Bexhill (opposite Bexhill Rail Station- see map link here) on Saturday 10^th March, 10.00am-12 noon.

As well as coffee, tea and cake, there will be a number of stalls, and opportunities to find out more about the work of the Fairtrade movement and the Co-operative Party.

AGM Success

Gill Roles- top, our new chair, and

outgoing chair Jean Couture.

The East Sussex Co-operative Party branch held it's AGM today in Eastbourne.  Long standing chair, Jean Couture stood down after many years service, and Gill Roles, a former Parliamentary and European Candidate  for Eastbourne/East Sussex  was elected in her place. A vote of thanks for her service was passed, and Jean will continue as vice chair.

The branch is very healthy in terms of both membership and finances, and a number of campaigns and events were discussed for the year including:

• Party street stalls and stalls at Labour and Fairtrade events to promote our agenda
• A barbecue in Heathfield over the summer break
• A repeat of our Fairtrade Coffee Morning
• Exploring options for Co-operative speakers to come to joint Co-op/Labour Party meetings
• Making sure we field Labour and Co-op Candidates in next year's County Council election

The meeting ended with a moment of silence to remember Jo Cox, and an agreement to add our voice to those tributes to her service to our movement.

Policy 2016- have your say !

Following feedback from Party members and review, the policy sub-committee of the NEC agreed to produce three ‘policy summary’ documents based around the following themes:

Secure and Confident Communities

Building a Shared Economy

Creating a More Equal Society

Click on any of the images to find out more, and how you can have your input !

Fairtrade Coffee Morning: 27th February

The Co-operative Party East Sussex Branch and the Fairtrade Movement


invite you to a Coffee Morning on Saturday 27 February 2016 10.30-12.30 at St Luke's Church Parish Centre, Rattle Road ,Westham, Pevensey East Sussex BN24 5SL (By crossroads... map here)

Come and find out more about the Fairtrade movement and the Co-op Party on the eve of Fairtrade Fortnight. One of the Co-op Party's main commitments is to the Fairtrade movement but also campaigns on other people centred local issues. Find out how the two movements campaign and how you could get involved.

Entrance Free: Tea or Coffee and homemade cake £1

Come and try and buy a variety of Fairtrade products: Clothing, coffee, rice, bananas, chocolate and more !

Branch Meeting: 20th February 2016

There will be a meeting of the East Sussex Branch of the Co-operative Party on Saturday 20th February 2016 at 10.30am at the Central Methodist Church, Langney Road, Eastbourne.

A G E N D A

1. Apologies for Absence

2. Minutes of the last ordinary meeting held November 2015

3. Matters Arising

4. Brief Reports (if the meeting is in agreement, these to be taken AFTER item 5):
     a) Membership
     b) Treasurer
     c) Constituency Labour Parties
     d) Sussex Co-operative Party Council

5. FAIR TRADE EVENT: SATURDAY 27th FEBRUARY
To agree on plans for the day, and any actions required in preparation for the event.

6. Any other business

Tea and Coffee will be available at the meeting.

Join us for Fairtrade Coffee Morning !

The Co-operative Party East Sussex Branch and the Fairtrade Movement

invite you to a Coffee Morning on Saturday 27 February 2016 10.30-12.30 at St Luke's Church Parish Centre, Rattle Road ,Westham, Pevensey East Sussex BN24 5SL (By crossroads... map here)

Come and find out more about the Fairtrade movement and the Co-op Party on the eve of Fairtrade Fortnight. One of the Co-op Party's main commitments is to the Fairtrade movement but also campaigns on other people centred local issues. Find out how the two movements campaign and how you could get involved.

Entrance Free: Tea or Coffee and homemade cake £1

Come and try and buy a variety of Fairtrade products: Clothing,coffee, rice, bananas, chocolate and more !

It's Co-operatives Fortnight !

Co-operatives Fortnight is the perfect time to come together and promote the vibrancy and strength of the  co-operative sector. Our sector is truly diverse and we are proud to offer a broad range of products and services. From childcare to cheese, wine to windpower, there really is a co-operative for everyone and every need, and Fortnight is the ideal opportunity to encourage more people to make the co-operative choice.

There really has been no better time to take part in Co-operatives Fortnight. We promise to make it fun and simple for your co-operative to get involved, so please play your part.   Large or small, online or on the high street, we want all co-operatives to take part during Co-operatives Fortnight and spread our message.

Together we really can get the message out far and wide.  Whether a retailer, service provider, federal member, or an individual co-operative supporter, we'll arm you with all the resources that you need. Our bright and vibrant campaign is guaranteed to make people smile.

Find out more by clicking here

A New International Settlement

Perhaps the most important thing the financial crisis has taught us is that no country is able to solve all of its problems on its own. As we face the greatest challenge to the world economy in modern times, the looming catastrophe of climate change and the continued emergency of global poverty, co-operation between nations has never been more important.

The G20 agreements reached constitute a global plan for recovery on an unprecedented scale. Commitments have been made to strengthening our global financial institutions, promoting global trade and mitigating the impact on the world’s poorest countries. We should not simply try to get back to the way things were before. Global co-operation is essential to creating a new world economy – designed to provide for all our long term interests, rather than short term gains for a few.
The Co-operative Party will campaign for:

• An International Transaction (Robin Hood) Tax – To help ensure our future economic stability, and ensure that banks pay the full cost of their bailout, we will campaign for the global introduction of taxes on capital transfers in the international stock, credit derivative and currency markets.... find out more about a fairer global economic system
• Protecting the future of our planet – We will continue to campaign for a comprehensive climate deal at the Mexico Summit, that will radically cut global emissions and provide the support needed by poor countries that are already struggling to cope with a changing climate... find out more about climate change
• Tackling Global Poverty – Co-operatives put people at the centre of development, giving communities the power to bring themselves out of poverty. We will campaign for the creation of a co-operative agency for international development, which will build capacity for co-operatives across the globe. >>  find out more about international development
• Fair Trade – through assisting fair trade producers to own an increasing proportion of their supply chain, we can allow primary producers to capture more profits and allow some of the world’s poorest farmers to collectively own sophisticated international businesses... find out more about Fairtrade
• Trade Justice – we will work with governments to replace free trade with just and equitable trade. We will seek to ensure that fair trade rules and development concerns are central to a global trade deal... find out more about a fairer global trade system