By Tom Pottrill, Policy Officer @ Resolve Poverty
Tackling poverty is back on the national agenda with the election of a new government in the summer. In Greater Manchester, however, tackling poverty has been a priority for years. Our latest research shows that councils in the city-region lead from the front in local anti-poverty efforts.
Recent research by Resolve Poverty has examined the scale of anti-poverty strategies and voluntary socio-economic duty adoption across councils in England. Across England, only 20% of respondent councils have an anti-poverty strategy and only 22% have voluntarily adopted the socio-economic duty. In Greater Manchester, however, 80% of councils have a strategy in place and have implemented the duty. We are proud to continue our work with councils in the city-region to ensure that tackling poverty remains at the heart of the local agenda.
Local authorities in the North West region are at the forefront of strategic responses to poverty: 40% of councils have adopted an anti-poverty strategy and 54% have adopted the socio-economic duty. In line with our finding that councils with higher child poverty rates are more likely to adopt a strategy or the duty, North West local authority areas also have the highest median child poverty rate (36%) of all English regions.
It may come as no surprise, therefore, that Greater Manchester councils are ahead of the curve on local anti-poverty activity. However, these efforts are not shared across the wider North West, or across England, by councils with similarly high poverty rates. Fundamentally, this is testament to the priority placed on tackling poverty by Greater Manchester councils; most North West councils that have an anti-poverty strategy or have adopted the socio-economic duty are in the city-region.
Zooming out from the North West, Greater Manchester councils lead over other regional authority areas in England. For instance, across the West Midlands Combined Authority area, only one in five councils have an anti-poverty strategy and none have adopted the socio-economic duty. This is despite having the highest median child poverty rate (46%) of all regional authority areas. Meanwhile, only one in five London councils have an anti-poverty strategy, and less than half have adopted the socio-economic duty, despite having a higher median child poverty rate than the national average.
It is clear that Greater Manchester is the torchbearer for the anti-poverty agenda in the North West and across England, but it isn’t just councils that are driving the anti-poverty agenda in the city-region. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) voluntarily adopted the socio-economic duty in 2022 and we are currently working in partnership with NHS Greater Manchester to develop their anti-poverty activities. Working in collaboration, this alliance of councils, their partners and other areas of the public sector is fostering an anti-poverty ecosystem that other areas of the country may be keen to replicate.
The country is embarking on a renewed focus on poverty, spearheaded by national government action. Now is an opportune time for further public bodies in Greater Manchester to bolster not only their role in tackling poverty but also the strength of anti-poverty activity in the city-region, by implementing a strategy and adopting the socio-economic duty.
We are delighted to continue to extend the hand of partnership to public bodies through our offer of tailored consultancy work on both anti-poverty strategies and the socio-economic duty. We can support you at any stage, from development through implementation to evaluation. We provide comprehensive guidance and training for your staff and offer impact evaluation through data collection and analysis. By integrating these levers into all aspects of your work, we ensure that organisational strategies, policies and priorities work towards the same goal to deliver maximum impact with and for those experiencing poverty. Together, we can realise the full effects of the anti-poverty mission.
For more information on working with us, please contact Tom Waring at thomas@resolvepoverty.org or book a free 30-minute meeting with us.
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This article is featured in our Greater Manchester bulletin.
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