Issue 53: August 2020
Dear Member, Welcome to the NFWI Public Affairs Digest, an e-update on all the latest WI campaigning news, delivered directly to your inbox. If you know anyone in your WI who is interested in our campaigns, please direct them to the campaigns area of MyWI to sign up to receive this Public Affairs Digest.
Contents:
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Part one of the National Food Strategy Published
On the 29thJuly the first report from the National Food Strategy was published. This semi-independent review was set up to look at and assess the UK’s food system and is the first major review of its kind in 75 years. We welcome the first part of this comprehensive vision of our current food system, as well as the importance it places on the urgent response needed to support the country through the coronavirus pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated UK food poverty and has seen a devastating increase in poverty levels. It was revealed that 5 million people in the UK living in households with children have experienced food insecurity since the lockdown started.
The report makes several important recommendations. It calls for eligibility for the Free School Meal scheme to be expanded, an increase in the value of Healthy Start vouchers and an extension of the Holiday Activity and Food Programme to all areas in England. We fully support these recommendations and hope that the Government adopts these without delay to ensure better access to healthy food, especially for those families on the lowest income.
The recommendations outlined in part one of the review reflect the importance of tackling child food poverty. We hope part two of the strategy, due to be released in 2021, will include strategic action the Government can take to overcome the structural drivers of food poverty, as well as concrete proposals for a green recovery. The Government has committed to publishing a White Paper six months after part two of the strategy has been published.
To read part one of the National Food Strategy in fullclick here.
The NFWI is a founding member of the /Together coalition, which aims to bring people together and bridge divides, to help build a kinder, closer and more connected country. On 5thJuly, the NHS’s birthday, we joined others in the coalition in inviting everyone to come together to say thank you to all those who are helping to get us through this difficult time, including doctors, nurses, shop workers, transport staff, delivery drivers, teachers, and countless others. Now, the coalition is interested in hearing what you think about what unites or divides us and how we can reconnect with each other. Your answers will help decide what the coalition does next to help bring us all /together.
Everyone is invited to take part in this survey.
To find out more about /Togetherclick here.
New plans to boost cycling infrastructure
On Tuesday 28th July, the Prime Minister launched the Government's plans to boost cycling and walking infrastructure. Plans include the launch of thousands of miles of new protected bike lanes and cycle training for every adult and child who wants it accessible through schools, local authorities or direct from cycle training schemes. More cycle racks will be installed at transport hubs, town & city centres and public buildings, and on-street storage will be available for people who don't have space to keep a bike at home.
Also under consultation are plans to give local people a chance to choose whether residential side streets should be closed to through motor traffic to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and grants to help people with the cost of electric-assist bikes.
These plans have been broadly welcomed by the environmental sector, but there are concerns that the £2 billion of funding currently allocated to these projects will not be enough.
With the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review in the Autumn, campaigners are hopeful that funding for active transport will be boosted.
The Government also released the first batch of £50 bike repair vouchers to encourage people in England back into cycling. Due to overwhelming demand, the Fix Your Bike voucher scheme website has currently been taken offline, and vouchers will be released gradually to reflect the capacity of cycle repairers who have signed up to the scheme.
You can find out more information about the scheme below in addition to further information about the Government's cycling proposals.
Read more about the Government announcement here.
More information about theFix Your Bike scheme here.
NFWI-Wales Public Affairs Bulletin
The summer edition of the NFWI-Wales Public Affairs Bulletin is available toaccess on My WI.
If you would like to receive future NFWI-Wales bulletins and campaign updates straight to your inbox,sign up here.New Report reveals Women Political Leaders are the Key to ‘More Equal and Caring Societies’
When women take part in politics, the whole of society benefits. That is the main finding of a new report fromWestminster Foundation for Democracy and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London.
Credit: Torbjørn Kjosvold/Forsvaret The study is based on an analysis of over 500 pieces of research into the impacts of women leaders in politics and public life. The report also highlights the barriers to women’s equality of participation in politics and public life. Some of the key findings include:
Female role models can help close the ambition gap between the genders and inspire more women to run for political office.
Evidence suggests women tend towards a leadership style that is more cooperative and inclusive, and which is less likely to enforce hierarchies.
Women in politics, more often than men, prioritise women’s interests, such as equal rights, reproductive rights and sexual health, families a nd childcare, and stopping violence against women.
You can read the report in full here. Equal Power is a three-year campaign to get more women in all our diversity into politics and community activism. This summer the Equal Power coalition is running a programme of FREE online training. Sign up to be inspired and gain the skills and knowledge to get more politically active.
Cervical screening and COVID-19 webinar
On 22 July, NFWI-Wales held an event discussing the importance of cervical screening and the challenges to improving uptake, both prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and in the months to come as services return to normal. Opportunities for awareness raising and to empower women by improving ways of gaining informed choice were also explored.
The event was addressed by Linda Wood, Lead Nurse Specialist, Cervical Screening Wales; Bex Raven, a member of League of Extraordinary Women WI in Clwyd Denbigh Federation; and Dr Sam Godfrey, Senior Research Information Manager, Cancer Research UK.
A recording of the presentations can beviewed on My WI.It is great to see some of you are already getting stuck in with our new campaigns.President Ruth Ainsworth of League of Ladies WI has, for instance, demonstrated how easy it is to register to become a stem cell donor.
The Public Affairs Department has developed new materials for the new campaigns, so keep an eye out for more information in the August mailing about how you can take action.
Support and help during pandemic This can be a particularly difficult and worrying time for adults and children living with domestic abuse. This linkwill take you take a page of support sources, please share as widely as possible. It is important that survivors know that they are not alone. This can also be a difficult and worrying time if you require additional assistance. If you need emergency food or support you can find the contact details of your local food bank using your postcode here. If you are able to support your local food bank with donations or by volunteering, click here to visit the FareShare website. You can also visit this section of our website for information from the NFWI on ways you can help your community, sources of support and other helpful information such as setting up a virtual meeting.
We have a PDF versions of the digest available, that you can share with the people around you. Please get in touch with the Public Affairs department if you would like a copy. Please also encourage other members of your WI to sign up to receive this monthly digest. Kind regards, The NFWI Public Affairs team. pa@nfwi.org.uk 020 7371 9300 ext.238
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