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RESOLVED:

1.      That
this Council notes that:
a)       
the cost-of-living crisis continues to
impact residents across Milton Keynes;
b)      
the City Council’s
£3.3million Winter Plan which included £100,000 to
local food charities;
c)       
in July 2023, MK Food Bank revealed that
1 in 25 households across the city cannot afford to buy enough
food, and every week about 50 people are contacting them for the
very first time, and for those who care for much-loved family pets
the crisis is also affecting their ability to care and look after
their animals;
d)      
research from the RSPCA shows that 7 in 10 pet
owners are worried about the cost of caring for their animals and a
fifth are concerned about how they’ll feed them;
e)      
the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals
(PDSA) revealed that 770,000 owners are going without necessities,
including skipping meals to keep money aside to afford the costs
associated with looking after their pets, and around 140,000 pets
have been given up for rehoming due to the cost of looking after
them;
f)        
despite the hard work of MK Food Bank who
currently collect pet food which is distributed to local animal
charities, animal abandonments have increased
by a quarter this year alone, whilst reports of animal neglect have
increased by 13%;
g)       
an estimated 2.7 million animals enter UK animal
shelters each year, whilst rehoming rates are falling with animals
finding new homes falling by 8%; and
h)      
most animal shelters do not have the funding to help
all animals that come into their care.
2.            
That this Council believes that:
a)       
for many, owning pets is a lifeline during the
cost-of-living crisis;
b)      
pets help reduce their owner’s isolation and
combat loneliness, providing companionship and health / mental
health benefits (stroking pets helps to reduce blood pressure and
can make their owners more active);
c)       
facing the toughest financial crisis in a
generation, many residents have been forced out of their homes and
as a result have had to give up their much-loved family pet, which
causes emotional distress and a damaging effect on mental
health;
d)      
no one should have to choose between
feeding themselves or feeding their pets; and
e)      
supporting residents by ensuring they have access to
food for their pets will reduce the pressure on already stretched
shelters and ensure pets can stay with their
owners. 
3.            
That this Council resolves to encourage food
organisations such as MK Food Bank and SOFEA to work with animal
charities to source pet food and provide it at human food banks as
well as community larders to help struggling pet owners to feed
their animals.