The Mayor was challenged today at Mayor’s Question Time following his omission to reference a commitment to tackle food poverty in his 2020 Vision document published last week. While there was a reference on an interactive timeline which could be viewed on the GLA intranet to ‘aim for a zero hunger city’ and that ‘No child in London should go to school hungry by 2020’ the report itself failed to mention this pressing issue facing Londoners.
Len Duvall AM, Leader of the London Assembly Labour Group questioned the Mayor about whether he had actually read the report titled ‘A Zero Hunger City – Tackling food poverty in London’ produced by Fiona Twycross AM. The Mayor replied that he is "aware of its conclusions" but failed to confirm that he had actually read it.
The report launched on 27th March sets out recommendations to the Mayor to tackle Food Poverty in London. The Mayor’s Office has until 24th July to formally respond to this.
Londonwide Labour Assembly Member Fiona Twycross AM said:
‘’As the Mayor was unable to confirm he had actually read my report when challenged today, my office has now delivered another copy to his office. I hope that the Mayor now reads this report and takes on the board its recommendations. I’m also concerned that at the same meeting we had other Assembly Members again calling for a freeze on the minimum wage, as well as saying that they do not care about the gap between rich and poor.
“The Mayor needs to address the reality of many Londoners who are faced by rising living costs and having to access support from food banks. Last week we saw him launch a glossy report as he turns his focus to own his legacy, however this omission shows his 2020 vision lacks substance and does not deal with problems facing Londoners’’
Ends
Notes
- Fiona Twycross is a Londonwide Labour Assembly Member.
2. Fiona Twycross recently completed an investigation into food poverty in London for the London Assembly’s Health & Environment Committee and is currently waiting for a formal response from the Mayor – which is due next month.
3. A link to Fiona’s report of food poverty can be found here: /sites/default/files/A%20Zero%20Hunger%20City.doc.pdf