Public health colleagues from across the North West came together earlier this month for Food Active’s twice-yearly network meeting, sharing local practice and exploring how councils can strengthen support for households experiencing financial hardship.
Food Active, a programme delivered by Health Equalities Group, is commissioned by 19 of the North West’s 24 local authorities. The network provides a trusted forum for public health teams to exchange learning, respond to shared challenges and take collective action to create healthier food environments and reduce health inequalities.
The in-person meetings are held twice a year and are supported by regular online sessions throughout the year. Together, these provide opportunities for members to connect, shape future Food Active activity and learn from approaches being developed across the region.
The afternoon focused on the recently launched Crisis Resilience Fund and how local authorities can use it to support low-income households experiencing financial hardship.
The session explored how the fund could respond to immediate need while also supporting activity that strengthens individual and community financial resilience. Members discussed planned delivery approaches, including the importance of accessible application routes, partnership working with community organisations, and alignment with existing local welfare and advice services. Common implementation challenges were also considered, alongside the conditions needed to ensure that support reaches communities effectively and consistently.
Colleagues from the Trussell Trust and Resolve Poverty provided an overview of the wider policy context and reflected on the role of local delivery in supporting households affected by financial insecurity and food insecurity, including the importance of coordinated crisis support systems.
Representatives from Liverpool, Lancashire and Greater Manchester then shared their planned approaches to delivering the fund. Their presentations highlighted emerging opportunities, potential barriers and practical considerations for implementation, including governance structures, cross-sector collaboration and the need for clear referral pathways.
The discussion enabled local authority partners to compare approaches, ask questions and identify areas where shared learning could strengthen local delivery.
The morning session included updates from Food Active and Health Equalities Group on recent work, including developments across key programme areas such as healthier food environments, school holiday food provision, and tools to support local authority action on obesity and health inequalities. Members also heard about forthcoming resources and priorities for the months ahead, including continued work to support the Healthy Weight Declaration and the development of practical guidance for local systems change.
Members were also invited to contribute to the development of future programme activity, including plans for the next Food Active conference scheduled for autumn 2026. Colleagues from Liverpool City Council presented their work to better understand and improve the city’s food environment, including efforts to map local food access and inform future policy and planning decisions. Cheshire West and Chester Council also shared learning from its partnership with Bite Back, which is supporting young people to influence change within the food system through lived experience, research and engagement with decision-makers.
These presentations gave members an opportunity to explore how different approaches are being developed locally and consider how the learning could inform work in other areas.
Food Active’s network meetings help local authorities learn from one another, reduce duplication and respond more effectively to shared public health challenges. They also ensure that Food Active’s programme is informed by the experience of the councils commissioning and delivering work across the region.
Food Active will use the learning from the meeting to support future programme activity and continue helping local authorities develop coordinated approaches to healthier food environments, financial resilience and reducing health inequalities across the North West.
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