1. Food and Local Policy – 10 years of a Food Partnership Vic Borill, Brighton & Hove Food Partnership Vic@bhfood.org.uk www.bhfood.org.uk @harvestbh

2. The Brighton & Hove Food Partnership A non-profit organisation that helps people learn to cook, to eat a healthy diet, to grow their own food and to waste less food. Work with individuals Work with groups Work at a strategy and policy level

3. Direct service delivery work Individuals 800 + people a year via our Healthy Weight Referral service Sign post volunteers to community projects Members – 3700 – info via e news, twitter etc Deliver cookery lessons and Love Food Hate Waste workshops Training for health, social care professionals

4. Community development role - Groups 75 growing projects - During 2013, 4,000 people were involved in community gardening, contributing 15,000 hours of their time to growing food locally Community cafes (22) Community compost schemes (30 schemes 807 households) Cookery – lunch clubs, cookery groups

5. Putting food at the heart of the solutions Food Health and wellbeing Economic development Social cohesion Culture Reducing inequalities Environmental sustainability

6. The idea is born (2003) Key people: PCT health promotion Council sustainability Community groups Local campaigners and residents Food Matters

7. Childhood (2004-6) Mapping local food, ‘Food Shed’ report ‘Spade to Spoon’ event Food Partnership formally founded Strategy and action plan (2006)

8. Growing up (2007) Not-for-profit, independent, politically neutral Membership organisation, with elected board One member of staff Events Newsletter Website

9. Teenage years (2008-12) PCT funding for Food for a Healthy Future Lottery funding for Harvest project on food growing Core strategy, waste strategy responses Council funding for food waste campaign Gained seats on Local Strategic Partnerships – eg health and sustainability

10. Young adult? (2012 and beyond) Food Strategy review and refresh (2011-12) – showed where doing well and not so well Led to Esmee Fairbairn funding for ‘tricky issues’, eg food poverty, procurement Grown to 20 staff (16 FTE), 3700 members Partners start to ‘get it’ and people coming to us

11. Why influence policy Longevity Equality Attention to the issue Direction Connecting good practice to resources Helps when applying for funding Allows for up-scaling and replication

12. Food Strategy and Action Plan If have a food strategy why influence other policy areas.... Won’t people just do it? Strategies that refer to strategies! ACTION PLAN Using your food strategy as a hook and entry point Resources are by policy area

13. Which ones? Challenge – so much could respond to JSNA Health and Wellbeing Planning Waste Target communities eg for FP adults with LD Anything to do with land Climate change and sustainability Economic development, skills

14. Policy making process

15. Downsides Time consuming Out of comfort zone Disconnected to reality Often very long term Want facts not opinion Turning policy into action

16. Who are these decision makers? Elected Councillors and Council Officers, business, statutory and voluntary sector

17. Personal contact Responses to consultations – engaging, simple language, concise – what like as well as what don’t like. Ongoing positive communications – newsletters, invites to things Attending events and partnership meetings Critical friend Patience and persistence Tone

18. Seeing is believing Visits Films Case studies Surveys Focus groups

19. Evidence / research

20. Local Media

21. Policy into practice an example – domestic waste strategy Policy asks Food waste is a problem – bin survey 35% Link to national evidence – most food waste is avoidable – WRAP Link to other agendas – costs to household Pay attention to the waste hierarchy – reduce first Problem of home composting without a garden What happened Love Food Hate Waste community education programme Community composting – previously just discounted compost bins Challenge – this was only about domestic waste – redistribution and hotel / restaurants Challenge – does it work?

22. Involvement in the process – allotment strategy Part of a strategy steering group with Allotment Federation, BHCC and public health Consultation and engagement work – 1200+ responses Open access to info including financial Took just over one growing season to achieve Process important = Trust

23. Local or national?

24. The challenge The Brighton & Hove Food Partnership is a hub for information, inspiration and connection around food. Need to learn and share Need to be willing to do things differently Need both the doers and the thinkers