Area chosen as one of 45 places in the country to receive funding to tackle access to healthy food

North East Lincolnshire has been chosen as one of only 45 communities in the country to receive a share of almost £10 million to help families access healthy and affordable food more easily.

The funding, worth £222,000 per area, will allow the Council to explore ways of helping families and communities to more easily access healthy food.

Announced earlier today by Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Dame Angela Eagle, the funding has been awarded to areas including Manchester, Hull, Nottingham and Hartlepool.

Councillor Nige Oliver, portfolio holder for health, wellbeing and adult social care at North East Lincolnshire, welcomed the announcement:

“Families in areas like ours can face significant challenges in trying to access affordable, healthy food.

“We know that what we eat contributes in a very significant way to the lives that we lead – a healthy and varied diet, coupled with regular exercise, can help to extend our lives, whereas diets that are not very balanced can lead to numerous health problems.

“We’re now looking at how we can use this funding to support people in our area.”

It is hoped that the programme, operating under ‘Good Food Neighbourhoods’, will provide further support to food-related community initiatives, such as food banks, community kitchens and lunch clubs.

The funds will subsequently help the 45 chosen councils to consider affordable food solutions, responding to figures from 2024/25 highlighting that 9% of people live in households where food is scarce and in areas of deprivation, and where children are more likely to become obese and suffer from health inequalities.

Good Food Neighbourhoods will also be working alongside businesses and charities to support established community projects with the aim of reaching more people and attracting further funding into local areas.

Civil society organisations were consulted prior to the announcement of the Good Food Neighbourhoods funding pot in order to understand the dietary and health needs of local communities.  This followed a significant piece of work by the Citizen’s Advisory Council.

The funding also bolsters the Government’s ‘Good Food Cycle’, a programme announced in 2025 to allow communities access to healthier food and “build a more resilient future”.