Innovative way to help the needy

Community Shop Limited are setting up stores which aim to bridge the gap between a reliance on emergency food aid and regular supermarkets.

The store, which could be in a town centre such as Dewsbury or Huddersfield, make use of surplus goods from supermarkets like M&S, Lidl, Tesco and Asda, and sell them for about 70 per cent less.

People can apply if they live in a postcode area deemed by the government be deprived or if they get income support.

As well as reducing waste, which would go to landfill, it is thought the shop could provide the area with around 10 jobs, as well as training opportunities.

The store could also help with cookery sessions, debt advice and links to community food-growing groups. There may also be referrals for weight management, physical activity and mental health support.

The idea will be debated during Kirklees Cabinet meeting tomorrow (Tuesday).

A pilot Community Shop was opened in Goldthorpe, near Barnsley, in December 2013, and there are plans for a national roll-out.

The company is committed to opening six more Community Shop stores around the UK in the next 12 months.

According to a 2012 Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, more than 20,840 (one in five) children lived in poverty in Kirklees.

Almost two thirds of these children lived in lone-parent households. More than 41,000 adults claimed one or more benefits linked to poverty.