On one of Liverpool’s most famous streets, two main issues are at the top of the agenda

It’s a summer’s day on Liverpool’s Lodge Lane and Mo Younis is stocking up ahead of what he hopes will be a good day’s business.

Mo runs the ever-popular Falafel Chef business, which operates out of a shipping container on one of the city’s most vibrant and diverse streets.

After a rough start, the Lodge Lane container village is now full of independent businesses offering food from all over the world. Mo, 30, is happy with how his Middle Eastern vegan wraps are selling.

“So far so good,” he says, discussing his fledgling business. “I’ve been told we’re the best rated in Liverpool on Just Eat so that’s really good.”

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“It’s been great. There’s been a lot of support from the local community. I’ve made offers because I want to give something back for how much support they’ve given me.”

While Mo is happy with how his business is going, he has noticed that those around him in this community are struggling.

“The cost of living has been hard on people,” he explains. “It affects people a lot, especially after the pandemic. I started with very cheap prices, then I raised them a bit, but I had to lower them because people were ordering less.

“People used to make an average order of £10, now they just get the minimum. The cost of living is affecting people, although we’re doing well as a business.”

With the general election just weeks away, the cost of living seems to be a major issue on the minds of the residents of Lodge Lane and Liverpool 8. But many people’s minds are also on what’s happening thousands of miles away. from this Middle Eastern city.

Mo Younis feels this more personally than most, he is from the Gaza Strip in Palestine. He and his family left the area years ago and moved to Egypt, but he finds it hard to bear the level of death and misery his home country is currently experiencing.

“It’s stressful for me because I’m from Gaza. It’s been crazy since the war started. In Lodge Lane and in Liverpool in general, the community has been really supportive. But you feel like there’s nothing you can do.

“When the war started, I was watching the news, but I had to stop because it was affecting my mental health, watching people die every day,” he explains. “The whole situation is so stressful. I’m trying to focus on my business.”

“Fortunately, my mother and my brothers are out of Gaza. They are safe. I know many others are not.”

Mo continued: “The situation in Palestine has been like this for a long time. I think people understand it more now. I hope it will end.”

The young businessman had not intended to live in Liverpool long-term, coming here initially only for an English course. But when he lost his job in Egypt and was denied a visa, he had to stay and was granted refugee status.

“I could not go back to Egypt and I could not go back to Palestine.” he explained. “So I stayed here and set up my business. This is a lovely town and a really friendly place. I love the Scouse people, they’re the most polite and funniest – and I love the accent.”

But despite his love for Liverpool, Mo says it’s hard not to feel helpless thinking about his homeland. “There’s nothing I can do from my position here except pray for the people back home to have a better life,” he explains.

Down Lodge Lane, there’s a group of people hoping to help improve people’s lives.

The Fans Supporting Foodbanks group, known for collecting food for those in need outside of Liverpool and Everton matches, are running their weekly pantry in the Tiber Square area.

With the sun shining and the music blasting, there’s a positive vibe in the market – but bubbling beneath the surface is a major problem Mo Younis alluded to earlier. People are fighting.

“This place shouldn’t be needed these days,” explains volunteer Andrea Perry, who lives in the local area.

“We’re not a food bank, we’re a food pantry. But we have working people who come here. Everyone struggles with the cost of living. We have NHS nurses who come here for their food.

“About 100 people come here every Thursday,” she adds. “It’s sad when you see the same people coming over and over again. This shouldn’t be happening in 2024 in this country.”

Looking ahead to the election, Andrea adds: “People are fighting properly. I hope we get rid of the Tories and get through work and make a change.”

While there is naturally no love for the Tories in this area, there is frustration from some with the position of the Labor Party, which looks set to form the next government after July 4.

The party has drawn particular criticism for its refusal to commit to scrapping the existing two-child allowance cap, which means benefit claimants do not receive extra support for their third or subsequent children. It is estimated that lifting this cap would cost £1.3 billion and instantly lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.

In the areas in and around Lodge Lane such a move is sorely needed.

The Toxteth Park ward is Liverpool’s worst affected area for child poverty, with devastatingly more than two in three children living below the cut-off. Neighboring Princes Park ward has 55% children living in poverty.

“I think it’s absolutely disgraceful that a new Labor government refuses to scrap the two-child limit,” says fan Robbie Daniels, who, with Dave Kelly and Ian Byrne, launched the Fans Supporting Foodbanks network.

Running the Tiber Square operation today, Robbie adds: “I want to see a lot more from Labor to tackle poverty – but it’s just not happening at the moment.”

Discussing the growing need for groups like his, he adds, “We’re fast approaching our 1,000th pantry. We do this all over town and have been doing this for four years now. During that time we fed somewhere in the region. of 480,000 people – and it got worse.

“The country is on its knees, especially in terms of food poverty and child poverty. We see it every day and it’s outrageous.”

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