Almost £10 million in government funding will be directed to 45 communities across England facing some of the country’s highest levels of deprivation and childhood obesity, in an effort to
improve access to nutritious food and ease pressure on household budgets.
The funding, announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 September 2026, will support locally designed projects aimed at making healthier food more accessible and affordable for families.
Each participating local authority will receive £222,000 through the new Good Food Neighbourhoods programme. Councils will be able to determine how the money is used according to the needs of their communities, with potential projects ranging from community food shops and mobile greengrocers to lunch clubs, community kitchens and cooking and nutrition initiatives.
The programme is also intended to strengthen councils’ ability to understand local food needs and develop longer-term strategies for tackling food insecurity.
The government said the investment comes in response to continuing concerns over household access to food. Official figures show that 9% of people lived in food-insecure households in 2024/25. At the same time, children living in England’s most deprived areas face substantially higher levels of obesity and associated health inequalities.
Government officials said the programme is designed not only to provide immediate support but also to help communities develop more resilient local food systems.
The initiative follows work by the Citizens’ Advisory Council and discussions with charities, community organisations and other civil society groups. The government said this engagement was intended to identify approaches that are practical and effective at local level.
The scheme will also seek to attract additional support from businesses, charities and philanthropic organisations, with the aim of expanding existing community initiatives and bringing further investment into disadvantaged areas.
The government described the programme as part of its wider Good Food Cycle, which seeks to improve access to healthier food while supporting stronger and more sustainable communities.
The 45 local authorities receiving funding are:
Ashfield District Council
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Bassetlaw District Council
Birmingham City Council
Blackpool Council
Bolsover District Council
Boston Borough Council
Burnley Borough Council
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
City of Doncaster Council
Enfield London Borough Council
Fenland District Council
Gloucester City Council
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Royal Borough of Greenwich
Halton Borough Council
Harlow Council
Hartlepool Borough Council
Hull City Council
Knowsley Council
City of Lincoln Council
Liverpool City Council
Luton Borough Council
Manchester City Council
Mansfield District Council
Middlesbrough Council
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
Newham Council
North East Lincolnshire Council
North Lincolnshire Council
Nottingham City Council
Pendle Borough Council
Peterborough City Council
Rossendale Borough Council
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Salford City Council
Sandwell Council
South Tyneside Council
Sunderland City Council
Walsall Council
Wolverhampton City Council
Stoke-on-Trent Council
Slough Borough Council
South Holland District Council
Photo by gov.uk
