Food bank buys new van after 32 clean air fines

A Newcastle food bank that was hit with 32 fines has bought a new van which will not be charged under the city’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ).

Kenton Food Bank received the fines after it used a 64-plate diesel Mercedes van to collect donations from the city centre.

But after successful fundraising, the charity was able to buy a 2019 model and even increase its collections from one to three times a week.

Food bank manager Loree Moran-Wilson said it was a "such a relief" and thanked the community for their support.

The new vehicle, a Mercedes Sprinter, has been funded by a £17,500 donation from Gosforth-based LGA Foundation, a £4,500 vehicle upgrade grant from the city council, and £900 donated by local residents through an online crowdfunder.

Ms Moran-Wilson said: “This is the perfect solution for us. We won’t get fined when we go to do our collections in Newcastle city centre now.

"It is a win-win situation for everyone.”

She added: “It is such a relief. Over Christmas we were having to seek out people who could go and do collections for us so that we could still get our food supplies. If you let people down like that then they won’t come back and donate again."

Local businessman Brian Dickinson, who runs construction firm WDL and is a regular donator to the food bank, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he was relieved that “the bureaucracy has been sorted” and that a “happy end” had been reached.

Kenton Labour councillor Stephen Lambert said they were "delighted" the food bank had got a new van.

Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Lovatt, who had previously volunteered himself to collect donations for the charity from inside the CAZ, told a council meeting last week that resolving the situation had been a “difficult process” but he was now “very pleased”.

The CAZ passed its one year anniversary this week and in the last 12 months has generated more than £2m from tolls and fines.

The food bank racked up penalty charge bills that could have totalled more than £4,000 after wrongly believing that it would have been eligible to have its tolls waived.

As the charity and local councillors complained that it and other non-profit groups had “fallen through the cracks” of the CAZ system, Newcastle City Council agreed to cancel the late payment penalties and let the food bank pay only the £12.50 value of the van toll for each of its 32 fines.

Ms Moran-Wilson added: “I think we showed through this that the system was designed more for businesses than non-profit and community groups, and I hope that they will change things.

“But luckily with the support of our local councillors we have been able to get this resolved for us.”

A spokesperson for Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone said: “We are pleased to confirm that a grant has been paid out to Kenton Foodbank to help them upgrade their vehicle.

"The funding was paid just over two months after we received the application, once all correct information had been provided.”

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