From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and The Rt Hon Dame Angela Eagle DBE MP
Published:
30 September 2026
Some of England’s most disadvantaged areas will benefit from almost £10 million to improve access to healthy and affordable food, helping families and communities get the room to breathe they need on the cost of living.
The new funding will be provided to 45 local authorities identified as having the greatest levels of deprivation and childhood obesity. Each local authority will receive £222,000 to develop solutions that meet local needs, putting decision-making and reunities best
The Good Food Neighbourhoods funding could support initiatives such as community food shops, mobile greengrocers, lunch clubs, community kitchens, and cooking and nutrition programmes, as well as helping local authorities strengthen their capacity to plan for and meet local food needs.
The investment responds to stark figures: 9% of people lived in food insecure households in 2024/25, while children living in the most deprived communities are significantly more likely to experience obesity and related health inequalities.
The intervention comes as the government acts to give people more room to breathe by improving access to affordable food, while delivering power to communities.
This programme has been developed following the work of the Citizen’s Advisory Council, and conversations with civil society organisations, to understand what would work best for local communities.
Alongside government funding, the programme will work with businesses, charities and philanthropy to build on existing community projects, reach more people and bring additional funding into local areas.
Through the Government’s Good Food Cycle, the programme will help communities access healthier food and build a more resilient future.
The recipient councils include:
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Enfield London Borough Council
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
North East Lincolnshire Council
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
South Holland District Council
