A CAMPAIGNING councillor in Inverclyde is hoping to put an end to households going hungry - by backing a parliamentary push for the right to food to be enshrined in law.

Greenock Telegraph: Fight to end food insecurity in Inverclyde with Councillor Francesca Brennan at Lyle Gateway

Labour's Francesca Brennan is taking up the fight locally, as she highlights grassroots projects on the ground which are making a difference.

She visited Greenock's Lyle Gateway, a church-run social enterprise which offers warm spaces and other drop-ins, to show her support for a bill going through Holyrood on food insecurity.

This comes as Inverclyde Foodbank report yet another increase in demand, with almost 100 parcels sent out to struggling families last week alone while donations fall.

Councillor Brennan said: "We have made access to food here in Inverclyde a priority with our warm spaces and providing all primary school children with free school meals.

"This focus on widening access to healthy, nutritious meals is part of our commitment to tackling food poverty and food insecurity.

"For too many children and adults, hunger is impacting on their physical and mental health as well as limiting their ability to participate in society.

"Ensuring that Inverclyde’s children will never go hungry or miss out on education due to poverty was one of the motivations behind Councillor Jim Clocherty’s announcement last year that Inverclyde would be one of the first local authorities in Scotland and the UK to make school meals free of charge for every primary-aged child.

"Our belief that everyone has the right to food also meant that, when I called for enhanced warm space provision during the cost of living crisis, council leader Stephen McCabe acted decisively, with local staff to combine anti-poverty measures with increased access to food.

"This led to our council funding over 100 community projects to organise a network of spaces where residents have accessed food and warmth over the past two winters, building on the innovation of grassroots volunteers and third sector partners."

Councillor Brennan is backing the Right To Food Bill proposed by Labour MSP Rhoda Grant, as part of the Good Food Nation Bill, with consultations finishing today.

Derek Mitchell, of Lyle Gateway, says the team there works hard all year round to help people who may be struggling.

He said: "At the end of the day food is a basic human right and non one should be denied access to it or go hungry.

"We do our best in Lyle Gateway to support the warm spaces but also to make our food affordable on other days a well."

Bosses at Inverclyde Foodbank say they are facing a real challenge to meet the level of need in the district.

Manager Adam Wines said: "We are continuing to see an increase in demand, with 94 parcels going out last week. But at this time of year there donations always drop and yet it is the busiest time for people needing help.

"The right to food is a basic human right. People should not be going hungry, but from an Inverclyde perspective, I don't know if putting more money in people's pockets is the answer, there are a lot of complex issues around food poverty."

The consultation on the 'right to food bill' comes to an end today, March 20.