Kidlington based food larder group may be forced to move due to rent increases

Cherwell Collective often hold community events in Exeter Hall

An organisation that runs a food larder has said it may have to move as the cost of renting its current base could nearly triple.

Cherwell Collective operates out of Exeter Hall in Kidlington - which is owned by Kidlington Parish Council.

The cost of renting the hall is set to be raised from £360 to £1,005 a week.

Kidlington Parish Council said it had invited the collective to apply for grants to continue using the space at "heavily discounted rates".

The rent increase factors in the group's wish to only use the hall two days a week - instead of the three it currently uses it for.

Dr Emily Connally, director and founder of Cherwell Collective, said: "We have no choice but to look for other premises because it's simply too expensive and too restrictive for us to safely operate."

Emily Connally started the Cherwell Collective in 2020

Dr Connally, who started the larder in her garage, said: "My entire team is heartbroken thinking what will happen to everyone when we go, because it's not just Cherwell Collective who will be left without suitable space by these charges, it's the people of Kidlington."

The group, which is primarily funded by grants, said throughout its partnership with the Parish Council there had been annual increases of about 5-10% in fees and costs associated with use of the hall.

It said it was only made aware of the exact figures of the latest increase on 12 February, leaving it little time to apply for grants before the new fees come in on 1 April.

The group said it provided an estimated 31,000 low cost or free meals between March 2022 and November 2023

Kidlington Parish Council said it had supported Cherwell Collective since its inception in early 2020, when Ms Connally approached it about using Exeter Hall to help distribute surplus food.

The Parish Council said: "In the past 12 months we have given the Collective more than £50,000 in grants by way of discounted rates."

It added that the increased fees being quoted was "the rate value of the spaces they require", and that the council was likely to "discount considerably as it has done for the last four years".

The council told the BBC discussions around increases began in the early autumn, and the group was asked to submit grant requests by January. It said this deadline had now been extended to "accommodate" Cherwell Collective.