Council signs poverty pledge to tackle hardship

Councillor Bridget Kendrick, left, said she was proud of the district council's pledge

A Surrey council has said it wants to "embed poverty awareness" into its work after signing a pledge to tackle financial hardship.

Mole Valley District Council said it was signing up to the End Poverty Pledge, an agreement which aims to highlight the impact of poverty while committing to tackling the issue.

Bridget Kendrick, leader of Mole Valley District Council, said the move was a "meaningful step in recognising the challenges many residents face".

The pledge, which was also signed by Surrey County Council in October 2024, aims to bring organisations together to try to reduce poverty locally.

Kendrick said: "Everyone in Mole Valley deserves the chance to lead a safe, healthy, and fulfilling life.

"The aim is to build a movement of people and organisations committed to doing what we can locally to reduce poverty and improve the lives of those who are experiencing financial hardship."

She said she was proud Mole Valley had become the first district council in Surrey to sign the pledge.

The pledge was organised by Good Company, which operates foodbanks in Mole Valley and other poverty support services across Surrey.

Its founder, Jonathan Lees, said: "We have been running foodbanks in Mole Valley for over 10 years and it's not acceptable that people have to use them.

"The more we can do to work together to address poverty, the better."

He said the pledge was about ensuring poverty and people in it are not forgotten and it was "fantastic news" that Mole Valley was the first district or borough council to have signed it.