Commenting after the meeting, Carla said:

“It is a sad reality that children living within our community are going to bed hungry, because of food poverty. As we face a autumn and winter with further pressures on household budgets, from energy, fuel, and food price increases, we know that this problem is likely to be exacerbated over the coming months.

Oasis Youth are engaged in amazing work to try to address need within our community, both practically meeting need with food provision, but and also in lobbying. The team here are supporting the Children’s Right2Food Charter, which sets out an evidence-led road map to tackle children's food insecurity and inequalities in obesity and protect every child's right to food. The Charter has been presented at 10 Downing Street, and whilst action has been taken in relation to free school meals, we need to see more targeted interventions to ensure children are not left hungry.

I will be continuing my engagement with the Government in relation to this campaign. Oasis Youth, and other local organisations, are doing what they can to meet need but we need a societal solution to this issue.”

Carla Lockhart MP and Youth co-ordinator Laura Wheatley