Council isn’t supporting Heywood Foodbank, says Father Paul Daly

Parish Priest at Saint Joseph's, Heywood, Father Paul Daly

Rochdale Council is currently not supporting Heywood Foodbank much to the anger of Father Paul Daly.

Money from the council's Discretionary Crisis Fund is currently given to help Rochdale Foodbank but a request from Father Daly to help the Heywood Foodbank has been turned down.

Father Daly said: “We sent them a request in April and we were asked to keep records, which we did, and we haven’t heard anything from them and it’s now November.”

Father Daly raised the issue again at the Heywood Township Committee meeting on Monday 4 November at which he asked the council again to support the Foodbank.

At the meeting, Council Leader, Councillor Colin Lambert said: “We would love to give money to Heywood but every penny has to be checked and traced.”

These comments in particular have angered Father Daly. He added: “I was concerned and offended by what Councillor Lambert said because it gives the impression that it would not be appropriate to give money to Heywood because it couldn’t be traced. That would not be the case because we do everything correctly.”

At that same meeting, Councillor McCarthy suggested that in future, each township should have its own crisis fund and Councillor Dutton suggested that the Foodbank bid for funding from the Township.

The only Councillor to have attended the Foodbank is Councillor Peter Rush, Mayor of Rochdale. Father Daly added: “None of the Heywood councillors have been to see the Foodbank and they are the people who have made the decision.”

The issue regarding lack of support for the Heywood Foodbank was again brought up at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Thursday 14 November, where representatives of Northgate Public Services were grilled by councilors regarding the Discretionary Crisis Fund.

Councillor Farooq Ahmed said: “We are going to look at setting a criteria and look at expanding to other areas.”

Heywood Foodbank currently opens Monday to Friday and Father Daly is concerned about the upcoming winter. During busy times, the Foodbank will often run out of food. “In previous weeks we have ran out of food and we have no revenue to cover that,” said Father Daly.

It was announced at the Township meeting that the Discretionary Crisis Fund will be reviewed next year and this was further supported at the Overview and Scrutiny meeting. Father Daly said: “That is too late for this Christmas. We have been promised the support and we are just not getting it.”

Rochdale Council has yet to respond to a request for comment.