By Graham Whitham, Chief Executive of Resolve Poverty
The recent mayoral elections have brought the role of regional government in tackling poverty into sharper focus. Those living in new mayoral regions, in particular, are likely to be asking: what difference will their mayor make? In this article, we ask a similar question: what difference can the mayors make in delivering better outcomes for those experiencing or at risk of socio-economic disadvantage?
Our recent Mission Critical report seeks to answer this question. Key regional and local stakeholders in England emphasised both the untapped potential of mayors and regional government in tackling poverty, and their appetite to move away from simply being conceived as an engine of growth.
Some regions are already optimising their limited funding, powers and resources to deliver effective anti-poverty activity. In the North East, Mayor Kim McGuinness is setting the standard for other mayors to follow, having established the Child Poverty Reduction Unit (CPRU) to deliver on her “number one priority” to tackle child poverty. With the North East CPRU set to take its regional action plan to Cabinet within the next couple of months, and central government set to publish its Child Poverty Strategy in the summer, now is an opportune time for all mayors to strengthen their role in the anti-poverty agenda.
Stakeholders told us that regional government is using its unique position within multi-level governance to build capacity through schemes that coordinate and join up activity across the boundaries of local authorities and other public bodies. Participants alluded, for instance, to regional “income maximisation” strategies to improve social security take-up and viewed such initiatives unequivocally as effective. One stakeholder suggested their schemes have been “more successful … than some of the other stuff that’s been done nationally.”
Likewise, regional stakeholders foreground their unique convening power in tackling poverty. This ability to get partners, from across the sectors, around the table facilitates knowledge-sharing and action-oriented networks on financial hardship and cost-of-living responses. One stakeholder stressed to us that “it’s never been more important to kind of nurture those relationships we have with local authorities,” while acknowledging that this does involve walking a tightrope. Rather than stepping on their toes, by “charging in and trying to take away or to change how they’re delivering,” regional stakeholders are acutely mindful that they should complement and strengthen local authorities’ anti-poverty work. Mayors must continue to emphasise the importance of effective partnership and act on this commitment.
Stakeholders champion place-based approaches for good reason: “They’re on the ground. They know their communities. They know what’s happening,” as one puts it. Such grounded approaches are not fast fashion, “here today, gone tomorrow” aberrations. They are here to stay in regional and local government and should be integral to a sustainable shift in how government tackles poverty.
Central government is increasingly recognising organic developments at regional level, a move welcomed by regional stakeholders; one describes it as a “respect for the efforts being made at regional level.” However, it must be borne in mind that these initiatives are all within the constraints of regional authorities’ existing powers, roles and funding settlements. They are ad hoc and inconsistent across different regions.
Given the limited degree to which regional stakeholders’ appetite can be satisfied within existing constraints, it should come as no surprise that stakeholders welcome the prospect of central government boosting the ability of regional authorities to deliver better outcomes for those experiencing poverty. Central government should hence match their words with action to realise the ambition of stakeholders. Tackling poverty is an “area of mutual priority” for national and subnational government alike, after all…
Looking ahead, we will serialise the recommendations of our Mission Critical report over the coming months to look more closely at its strategic and policy ramifications for different tiers of government. These blogs will reaffirm the inalienable links between each level of government in delivering better outcomes for low-income communities and people experiencing poverty.
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This article is featured in our 21 May newsletter.
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