Kirklees Metropolitan Council

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council-owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself. Many councils are seeking to establish a new relationship with local people and local communities. Community involvement and engagement is increasingly important as a way of shaping council thinking, contributing to service design and improvement and to responding to continuing resource pressures. It may also involve direct community involvement in service delivery. This award is intended to showcase the whole range of community involvement.

The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT), one of the UK’s leading community food organisations, brought its affordable food offer to Kirklees in 2022. This was enabled through an innovative partnership between Kirklees Metropolitan Council, third sector leaders, The Bread and Butter Thing and the support of key funder, Cummins Turbo Technologies Ltd. In 10 months, five hubs have been sited in community venues across the locality providing 214,755 meals and £183,3936.50 savings to the people of Kirklees and saving 90.2 tons of food waste. These sites have developed into thriving hubs of connection and community far broader than affordable food.