Evaluation of local council funding for food aid organisations since cost-of-living crisis in the UK

Abstract Background Use of food aid has risen in the UK over the cost-of-living crisis. Food aid organisations were concerned they would not have sufficient food supplies to meet rising demand. Government funding for the cost-of-living crisis was used by local councils to support food aid organisations. This study evaluated the impacts of funding provided by Birmingham City Council (BCC), which gave £5000 to individual food aid projects for the purchase of food and other essentials in Winter 2022-23 and 2023-24. Methods This mixed methods study involved interviews with 23 organisations in receipt of BCC funding and a pre-post survey of 79 organisations over 2023 to 2024. Framework analysis was used to capture reported outputs and short- and long-term outcomes, as well as unintended outcomes. A pre-post analysis examined whether the proportion of organisations reporting difficulty meeting demands for their services changed with funding. Results Preliminary analyses from qualitative interviews suggested a variety of priorities for organisations, including boosting the nutritional content of food provision; ensuring a good supply of long-life staples; and catering to meet cultural food needs. Short-term outcomes were food project clients receiving better quality, quantity and variety of foods, but few long-term outcomes were reported. Unintended consequences included raising clients’ expectations of what would be provided in the longer term. Quantitative findings indicated lower odds of organisations having insufficient food supplies (OR: 0.43 (95%CI: 0.21 to 0.91) and of organisations turning people away without food (OR: 0.43 (95%CI: 0.21 to 0.89) during the funded period compared to baseline. Conclusions Funding had an immediate impact on the food supplies food aid organisations were able to provide, but limited impacts beyond the funding period. Local councils need to be better supported to effectively invest in interventions that will reduce food insecurity in the longer-term. Key messages • Local council funding to support food aid projects during the cost-of-living crisis was reported to increase the quantity and quality of food provision during the funding period. • Funding led to some unintended consequences and few longer-term impacts, suggesting a different local government approach is needed to reduce food insecurity.