The city council say they are committed to supporting relocation
Lynn Wyeth, Alice Hawkins Community Projects. (Image: Lynn Wyeth)
A Leicester foodbank is under threat of closure unless the city council can secure a new location following the shutdown of its current site.
Earlier this month, Leicester City Council said it would continue to run many of the city’s libraries and community centres after making “significant” changes to original proposals which would have seen several closed or have their hours reduced.
The revised scheme, which will still see a smaller reduction in staff numbers at city libraries and community centres, is expected to save the council £500,000 in 2026/27 and £1.57m in subsequent financial years.
However, council members have found fault with the new plans, highlighting that many sites will still close or have to cut hours.
Among them is Fosse Neighbourhood Centre and Library. Alice Hawkins Community Projects operate a food bank from the annexe of this building, providing over 100 parcels a week. They also run English classes, children’s lunch clubs and a community garden.
Eve Hill, Alice Hawkins Community Projects. (Image: Lynn Wyeth)
The council is closing this building due to the “low usage” of the facility and “poor condition” of the building. They promise to help support food bank workers relocate to a new centre.
However, Lynn Wyeth, representing the group, said everything is “up in the air” and feels there are no other viable community spaces in the crowded area.
She said: “Nobody can come up with anything suitable.
“The building is big, it’s old, it costs hundreds of thousands of pounds to run. We’re not naive. It’s the lack of ability to fund something alternative and help us to do that.
“We’re pretty resilient and adaptable but it feels like were massively going backwards. We’ve got ourselves a nice place the community can use and it is such a shame.”
Ms Wyeth said if a suitable, free alternative can’t be found, the group will no longer be able to offer their current services.
She added: “It’s sad. We have got a whole bunch of people who are coming to volunteer. The community wants to help its neighbours and it’s going to potentially fall down.
“If the council are not willing to reinvest any of the savings they’re going to make from Fosse, we’re not going to be there.”
Councillors from the Green, Lib Dem, and Conservative party agreed to call in the authority’s new plans for Leicester’s libraries and community centres for extra scrutiny.
They argue the council has the funds to keep the sites open.
Aasiya Bora, of Stoneygate ward (Green), said: “There is at least £60m in usable reserves at the city council. These cuts are a deliberate choice by Labour locally.
“Libraries and local centres are at the heart of our communities – damage them and you are unpicking the fabric holding neighbourhoods together.”
A city council spokesman said: “The council is committed to supporting Alice Hawkins Community Project to relocate, once the decision for the future provision of libraries and community centres has been finalised.
“Officers held a pre-emptive meeting with the project earlier this month to establish their requirements and will work with them following a decision to explore options. In the meantime, the foodbank is operating at Fosse Neighbourhood Centre as normal.”
The item will be up for debate in tonight’s (Thursday, March 26) full council meeting at the town hall, where councillors will vote on whether to dismiss the concerns raised or recommend a new decision to leaders.