The Rector, The MP and the Foodbank

David Morris MP has now replied to my second letter about his remarks concerning Morecambe Bay Foodbank. As a lot of people have shown an interest in this matter, I thought a final blog post was in order.

In his reply, Mr Morris made no reference to his comments in the Visitor, but rather asserted that he stands by his statement on his website (which is not easy to find) and has no intention of changing his position. He alleges that the Foodbank is politicised and that he has raised concerns about that with the Trussell Trust. He ended the letter saying that this concludes the correspondence he will engage with on this matter.

This leaves me with a few questions. Since Mr Morris won't engage with this further, I simply put them out there.

1) Why didn't David Morris address my specific challenge to his statement that the Foodbank was "started and run by the Labour Party"?

It is entirely plausible that the Foodbank has volunteers who are politically active, including ones aligned with the Labour Party. When I visited there was no discussion of political affiliation, but on enquiring, I understood there to be a range.

The Foodbank can't be held responsible for the political affiliation of those prepared to commit time for volunteering; the question is whether he can demonstrate that the Foodbank has been politically biased in its recruitment of volunteers.

Even if there is a disproportionate representation for Labour in the volunteer team, there is a great deal of difference between that being true and the Foodbank being started and run by the Labour Party. And what (or who) does he mean by "the Labour Party" in his allegation?

2) Why won't David Morris visit the Foodbank?

As an MP representing a political party which purports to encourage volunteering and charitable activity, I find it very strange that he hasn't visited long ago. He has said he now fears being ambushed by a political stunt: "they want me to walk through that door, take a picture of me and shout at me". Potentially any public appearance by an MP can turn into a shouting match. It suggests a lack of political courage that he isn't prepared to go and defend his corner. Much as I disliked their policies, I can't imagine that Norman Tebbitt or Mrs Thatcher would have been deterred.

It also demonstrates a lack of faith in the hand of fellowship the Methodist minister offered him in his most recent invitation. I am confident that any minister would do all they could to show hospitality, even if they disagreed profoundly. In the Visitor David Morris said he will go with national Trussell Trust and Social Services staff, so I hope he sees that through and pro-actively seeks to arrange to do so.

Another mystery about this is that in parliament on 17 Dec 2014 Mr Morris said "I have never been invited to a food bank in my constituency, although I would love to go..." (see the full text here). He also questions the levels of take up stated by the Trussell Trust. Morecambe Bay Foodbank say that 3 invitations were issued, along with a 4th indirect approach. Furthermore, the church minister also wrote to invite him. It's bewildering why he would deny this.

3) What data does Mr Morris actually want?

As stated above, Mr Morris suggested in his comments on 17 Dec 2014 that the data for Foodbanks was unclear. I have seen data being entered into the system at Morecambe Bay Foodbank, I have seen the referral forms which have to be signed by professional in the area, and I have seen the stock taking and record keeping taking place. I am sure that if Mr Morris mustered the courage to visit and explained exactly what stats he required, they could be called up for him there and then.

4) If Morecambe Bay Foodbank is really so politicised, why hasn't he taken action much sooner to get its charitable status withdrawn or reviewed?

Many individuals and organisations are supporting and donating to Morecambe Bay Foodbank in good faith that it is a legitimate charity, operating within the rules and parameters for a charity. My own parish has donated some money and we have also sent other assistance. If an organisation is not operating legitimately as a charity in the local area, but is pretending that all is well, we need to know about it and be protected from it. Surely Mr Morris has a duty of care to us all if he has compelling evidence that the Foodbank is masquerading as something that it isn't. The fact that he has not done so after so many months leads me to conclude that he doesn't possess such evidence.

If, as Mr Morris implies, Morecambe Bay Foodbank were a covert organ of the Labour Party, it's been very subtle in its methods. There is, of course, uncomfortable evidence for the government in foodbank data, but I have seen no promotion of any of the opposition parties in any of the literature I have seen, or in conversations I have held.

Related articles

• Follow Up letter to David Morris MP

Follow Up letter to David Morris MP

I thought I'd publish the text of my follow-up letter to our MP concerning Morecambe Bay Foodbank

Dear Mr Morris,

You may recall that on 21^st May of this year I emailed a letter to you with regard to your reported comments about Morecambe Bay Foodbank – specifically that it was “set up and run by the Labour Party”. This concerned me, as I knew it was not true, and I was concerned that if that rumour gained traction, it could discourage people of other political persuasions from donating and volunteering. I am a Trustee of West End Impact, another charity addressing some of social needs in the most deprived areas of our town, and I know how key the goodwill of the public is in supporting our work.

I know the remarks attributed to you to be incorrect, because my wife, Debbie, when working as County Ecumenical Officer for Churches Together in Lancashire hosted a lunch here at the Rectory. People present included Rev Peter Brown - the minister of Brookhouse Methodist Church, Rev Stephen Poxon – then District Chair for the North Lancashire District of the Methodist Church, and Deacon Eunice Attwood – the 2010 Vice President of Methodist Conference (the national governing body for the Methodist Church in Britain).

At that lunch, Peter shared his vision for starting up a foodbank at the old Central Methodist Church, and how they were negotiating with the Trussell Trust in taking that forward. I remember the conversation well, as I encouraged him to build links with others doing similar work, such as West End Impact and Morecambe Homeless Action.

The text of my original letter is included for your reference. I made it an open letter, posted on my blog, as I wanted as many people as possible to be reassured that Morecambe Bay Foodbank is not an organ of the local Labour Party. Indeed a local minister thanked me, as they have some Conservative voting members in their church who are very active charitably and regularly take food to the Foodbank. They had been rather alarmed by what you said, and were only reassured when they were able to read my reply.

My reasons for writing now are two-fold. First of all, I am disappointed that you haven’t yet replied to my original letter and that you haven’t issued a public correction for the remarks attributed to you by The Visitor. The second is that I gather a new piece on the issue has appeared this week in Private Eye. The only contact I have initiated with the media about this issue was a follow-up letter in the Visitor, summarising what I said and pointing people to my blog. I was also aware that the Church Times showed a brief interest in the story. The unexpected reappearance of the story in the ‘Eye’ has prompted me to contact you again.

Can I encourage you to resolve this matter by meeting with the Foodbank team? I visited soon after I sent you the first letter, and I have seen the hard work they do, the painstaking records they keep, and have also spent time chatting to clients, including an ex-para with acute PTSD. I have also seen a copy of the letter Rev Peter Brown sent you, inviting you to visit, and would strongly encourage you to accept.

Responding to the needs in front of our noses and at our doors is central to the work of these charities and volunteers, and I’m proud that churches are at the forefront of this in Morecambe.  As our MP, I would have hoped that you might want to celebrate and affirm constituents who freely give their time and energy. Working in this area also means that we have questions and uncomfortable truths for the politicians who set policy, which arise from our work. However, that doesn’t necessitate you treating the foodbank as hostile. As Robert Key, Conservative MP for Salisbury 1983-2010, and trustee of the Trussell Trust wrote recently “The … task for some in Government is to stop pretending that food banks are left-wing, anti-government troublemakers” *. I think his advice is worth listening to.

Yours Sincerely

Mike Peatman

* Robert Key: Six ways the Government can tackle poverty and work with food banks. Published on Conservative Home website http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2015/07/robert-key-six-ways-the-government-can-tackle-poverty-and-work-with-food-banks.html

An Open Letter to David Morris MP

An Open letter to David Morris MP

Dear Mr Morris,

This week’s Visitor newspaper reported you as saying the following about Morecambe Foodbank: “The foodbank is set up and run by the Labour party”. I am very conscious that the media are not always accurate in their descriptions of what someone has said, so if it is not what you said, I hope that you will soon be issuing a correction. If it is accurate, then I must respond as follows:

First of all, I have to challenge your account of the origins of the foodbank. When Central Methodist Church on Green Street in Morecambe closed for worship, Brookhouse Methodist Church took on the challenge of finding alternative uses for the building and to create a new project there. After an initial phase of using the building for youth and children’s work, they negotiated with the Trussell Trust to set up a foodbank. I know this because the minister of Brookhouse Methodist Church, the Methodist District Chair for North Lancashire and others sat in my dining room and shared their plans some time before it even opened. It was not set up by the Labour Party. It may well be that some who are most closely involved with running the foodbank have that political allegiance, but your implication that it was a party project from the start is wrong.

Furthermore, if I understand the rules correctly, it would be a contravention of charity law for the foodbank to be aligned with one political party. Charitable activity can have a political dimension with regard to the furtherance of its aims. However, my understanding is that an alignment with a single party would not be permissible. If you believe that Labour are running Morecambe Foodbank, then it seems to me that it is your duty to submit the evidence to the relevant authorities for investigation. If you do not have the evidence, then you should not make the accusation.

I am not involved directly with Morecambe Foodbank, but I am a trustee of West End Impact, another charity in Morecambe working with some of the neediest people in our community. We work alongside other agencies so that every day of the week there is a location in our town where people can get a drink and a bite to eat. People in need can receive personal and emotional support, obtain advice on housing and benefits, receive some emergency food and much more. Many of these centres are church based, and we all see it as an important contribution to the well-being of our community. Your comments about the foodbank affect us all, especially as your assertion of a political agenda may well deter people from supporting, donating or volunteering at Morecambe Foodbank or, by association, at other centres such as West End Impact.

You have been elected as MP for our constituency, and you therefore represent us all, not simply those who voted for you. Many people across a wide political spectrum donate, volunteer and support the centres helping the most vulnerable members of our community. I believe the onus is on you to reach out to and build relationships with the organisations which are contributing so positively in our area, even where you feel that politically you may not have a great deal in common. It is your duty to find out how to best serve the people you represent.

I hope you do visit Morecambe Foodbank, and that you also go to West End Impact, Morecambe Homeless Action, Grace Ministries, the Salvation Army and more. I believe you could learn a lot about your constituents by doing so. You would hear about their needs – their lack of food, their financial problems, housing issues, benefits sanctions, mental health challenges, struggles with addictions and more. You would also encounter and be impressed by your constituents who give great amounts of time and energy into these centres, and you will find that they are not all in the pocket of Labour or any other political party.

Yours Sincerely

Mike Peatman


I received no reply, so here's the link to my second letter. Finally, I did receive a letter, which concluded saying that was the end of the correspondence. I sent a final reply as a receipt for his letter, itemising the concerns which remained unanswered.

At no point in his correspondence with me was a retraction made or an apology offered. However, I understand a private visit to the Foodbank was arranged. One can only hope it conveyed some truths about the work of the Foodbank and the needs it addresses.

Coastal

A lot of older people in Morecambe come from Yorkshire. In its heyday, it was the resort of choice for Bradford, and the only direct train service to anywhere other than Lancaster still goes to Leeds. However, I meet a lot of people who have lived in this area all their lives, known round here as sandgrown'uns. [Not sure about spelling and punctuation, but you get the idea.]

What these people don't realise is just how weird it is for a Midlander like me to live here. It's not the people, or the accent, or the dialect; it's the sea. Every time I walk for 5 mins to the end of my road I find a small beach, and everything in me says that's wrong. Allow me to explain.

When you live in the Midlands, the sea is a day trip away. From Nottingham, the coast of choice is usually Lincolnshire - Skegness, Mablethorpe, Sutton-on-Sea, Ingoldmells, etc. It's about 80-90 miles and even with modern road improvements it's a good couple of hours. My family liked trying other options, so long drives to Caister, Bude and even Pembrokeshire filled the late 60s and early 70s for me. Wherever we went, the first glimpse of the sea was a competition in the car, and that was the only sea I usually saw - on a couple of holidays each year.

So each day when I go up to the promenade, even after nearly 5 years here, I'm still excited and surprised to see Morecambe Bay. As sea views go, it's one of the best with its tides, its fantastic sunsets and the views of the Lake District in the distance. Every time I see it, something in me wonders if it will soon be time to 'go home', followed by the very happy thought that home is only a few minutes' walk away.

Midlander

The issue is this: I spent the first 20 years of my life a two-hour drive to the sea, and then the first 12 years of working as a clergyhuman in the Midlands, including 8 in Coventry, which is nearly as far from the sea as you can get in the UK. As a child, I saw the sea maybe twice a year - once during our main summer holidays (usually in the West Country) and probably another short break/day trip to the East coast. The first glimpse of the sea was always an exciting moment.

So there is something hard-wired in my system that says that having the view at the top of this blog a few hundred yards from where I live is all wrong. Not wrong in the sense that I don't like it or don't want it; more that I always feel a bit surprised and excited that the seaside is there. If you have lost that feeling (or never had it) I can only prescribe living in Meriden for 10 years and then coming back!

Late Afternoon, Morecambe Prom

Took this while walking the dog. As it came out rather well, I thought I'd share it.

The Cheapest (pay) Car Park in Britain?

Just off the Promenade, a short walk from our house, there's a pay-and-display car park. Most people wouldn't even notice that it's there. As you can see from the photo, it charges 50p for up to 24 hours, which is a fraction over 2p per hour

You might think that such a car park would be very popular, but at 1645 today, this was the full extent of the clientele.

To be fair, it's well used by coach tours, but it could be Morecambe's best kept secret.

Good discoveries in Morecambe.

Encouraged by Bill Bryson's affection for Morecambe, despite its set-backs, I think we need to be talking the place up at every opportunity. Thought I'd mention a few early discoveries from my first few weeks here. There's obviously Holy Trinity, Poulton-le-Sands with St Laurence Church, but I'm biased! Here are some others in no particular order:

1) Morecambe Bay itself. The view across the bay (as seen at top of blog) is, of course, Morecambe's greatest asset. Every day is different - with the light constantly changing, and only a small change in the tide having substantial effects on the relatively level bay, it's fascinating (even in bad weather). Grange, Ulverston and Barrow in the distance can all be seen, but so can a range of Lakeland Hills. Fantastic to have it 3 minutes' walk away.

2) Friendly people. It's brilliant to find people who chat everywhere.

3) Kenny's fish 'n' chips, Euston Road. Edges it as the best shop we've tried so far (although the one by Morecambe FC is good, too.)

4) Food4thought community cafe runs in Poulton Memorial Hall Tue-Fri 12-2. Good cheap food and drinks. Friendly service and a good project.

5) Breeze cafe. Futuristic building next to West End Gardens. Very good range of smoothies, ice creams, milk shakes and Atkinsons coffee, served in big, wonderfully coloured cups.

6) Special mention in despatches for the Farmers Market at Christ Church URC, Broadway. 4th Thursday in the month 9am - 2pm. Yet to get there, but everyone keeps talking about it!

7) I've yet to try many of the local hostelries. Near to home is the Smugglers Den. A very compact old pub in the heart of old Poulton. Seriously committed to its real ales (10p per pint discount for CAMRA members it provides a really good friendly local experience. Looking forward to testing a few other venues in the coming weeks!

Lots more to discover, I'm sure, but Morecambe is well worth the visit!