Peterborough village food bank forced to close after community centre deemed 'unsafe'
The food bank is based in Thorney.
The organisers of a village foodbank, based in Thorney, have been left devastated after being forced to halt operations.
The stop has had to come about after the Thorney, Eye and Surrounding Food Hub were asked to vacate their council-owned building Bedford Hall (Thorney Community Centre).
The council has said that the building must close on health and safety grounds “due to the poor condition of the building and toilet area.”
Erin Tierney, who began the food hub from her living room, just before Covid has said that the news left her “shocked” as the council gave the group just two weeks to relocate, despite the issues being reported over a year ago.
Erin said: “When we were told, it really left us up the creek without a paddle. We have so much stuff, food, freezers and other items which all need to be moved and found a new home for and we don’t know where that will be at the moment.
"We are going to be left with no choice but to stop for the meantime. We were promised a new building but that is yet to materialise.
“It is just such a shame because we serve a community where people perhaps aren’t able to get right into the centre of town where other foodbanks are located and we can provide support at times when they are not open.
"We are trying to put together a plan at the moment but what that will look like, we are not sure yet.”
The building has been placed on the council’s list of community assets that is it considering selling off, although the council has stressed that this is not the reason for its recent decision.
Councillor Mohammed Jamil, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and corporate governance at Peterborough City Council, said: “Yes, the property is on the Asset Disposal Review, however, this is not the reason for the closure. A decision has not yet been made on whether or not the property will be sold.
“The council informed the parish council on Monday, 13 January that the building needed to close on health and safety grounds due to the poor condition of the building and toilet area, which are unusable for the current use (ie distribution of food).
“We are working on plans to relocate the Food Bank and a meeting is being held with the parish council on Wednesday, 29 January to discuss this further.”
The latest updates from the food hub can be found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/1034578193675719.