Funding for the Isle of Wight’s community pantries could be slashed by 46% as part of the council’s latest Household Support Fund (HSF) plan – a move that has sparked strong criticism and a formal call-in by councillors.
Cllr Debbie Andre, cabinet member for adult social care and public health, approved County Hall’s delivery plan for HSF 7 on 24th April. The Isle of Wight Council has received £1,994,369.25 through the government scheme, designed to support vulnerable households.
The funding is earmarked for several initiatives including:
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£400,000 for supermarket vouchers
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£500,000 for community grants
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£350,000 for a utility, food and white goods support scheme
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£175,000 for Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) services
However, the decision to cut community pantry and larder funding by 46% for 2025/26 has drawn criticism, especially as the overall HSF allocation has only dropped by 12%. The cut has raised concerns about pantry closures and the knock-on effect on those who rely on the service.
The matter was formally called in for scrutiny by Pan and Barton representative Cllr Geoff Brodie, supported by eight other councillors. During a meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday (date unspecified), the committee recommended that the cabinet member restore pantry funding to at least £145,000, adjusted for inflation.
Cllr Brodie described the decision as “cruel and heartless” despite his personal regard for Cllr Andre, adding:
“It is not the sort of decision I expect of you, Cllr Andre; it’s the sort of decision, frankly, I would have expected of Conservative administrations in the past.”
Further recommendations from the committee included reallocating some of the £175,000 assigned to CAB to other organisations offering crisis prevention services, after criticisms from groups including Aspire, Pan Together, Ventnor Town Council and West Wight Sports and Community Centre, who described the CAB’s provision as “woefully inadequate”.
Concerns were also raised over the use of non-recurring government funds like the HSF to replace core funding in poverty reduction efforts – a move the committee advised against.
Defending the plan, Cllr Andre reiterated that each round of HSF is a separate grant with new criteria. She said:
“Each HSF stands alone. It’s not helpful to talk in terms of savings. Yes, we can look at year-on-year comparisons, but we made it clear that in the previous year we received more money and were able to effectively pump-prime the pantries.
“This is a new fund with a new agreement. We received notification of HSF 7 on 4th March and reviewed allocations on 9th April based on previous rounds and feedback from residents.”
She added that while extensive consultation had taken place as part of the Island’s 2024 Poverty Reduction Strategy, community pantries had been encouraged over the past year to seek alternative funding and become more sustainable in the event of government funding reductions.
The Equality Impact Assessment for the delivery plan does not measure the effect of cuts on specific services like the community pantries, but rather looks at support provided across different protected groups.
Cowes Community Pantry coordinator Monique Gallop questioned whether the council had assessed the risk of pantry closures due to the funding cut. Cllr Andre said the focus was on wider resource allocation rather than the survival of individual services.
The decision remains open to reconsideration following the scrutiny committee’s recommendations.
