Castlemilk residents choosing between 'food and heating' amid fight for supermarket

Castlemilk residents have been left to choose between food and heating amid their fight to get a supermarket in the area, an MP has said.

The community on the Southside of Glasgow has been campaigning to secure a supermarket for the area for more than six years.

Campaigners have described the area as a “food desert”, saying it has suffered from a lack of fresh and affordable food, despite promised interventions by the local authority.

As the fight continues, they secured a Westminster Hall debate, sponsored by local MP Gordon McKee, on the subject of ‘Inequality of access to fresh and nutritious food’.

Leading the debate, McKee said: “Castlemilk is a proud and resilient community that has achieved many things since its founding in the 1950s.

“But over the years, the singular thing it has failed to achieve is to secure a supermarket to serve the area with fresh, affordable and nutritious food.”

He added that the nearest supermarket is a £20, six-mile round trip in a taxi, saying that many local people have to choose between “fresh food and turning the heating on”.

At the end of the debate, the motion was agreed and the minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Dame Angela Eagle MP, agreed to meet with the local MP to discuss issues raised.

The campaign for a supermarket is being led by the Castlemilk Housing and Human Rights Board.

Anna Stuart, chair of the Board, thanked the MP for securing the debate and for acknowledging that the right to affordable, accessible nutrition is a human right which should be equally available to people living in Castlemilk.

“We are delighted that our complaints and proposed solutions have been acted upon by politicians, but the test of success is finding out just what the Minister can do to ensure a supermarket comes to Castlemilk,” she said.

“The Board look forward to hearing of specific actions to aid our campaign.”