Resolve Poverty supports organisations to develop anti-poverty strategies building on our 2023 report, Local anti-poverty strategies: good practice and effective approaches. The report sets out new thinking on anti-poverty strategy development for local authorities, regional public bodies such as combined authorities and other organisations wanting to develop a plan for tackling poverty. It sets out a framework for effective anti-poverty strategy development with 12 clear steps based on good practice from around the UK.

We have used this report to support anti-poverty strategy development in Bolton. You can read more about what we did and testimonial from Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council here. From defining poverty and its drivers through to ensuring effective accountability and monitoring processes are in place, we can work with you to put this framework into practice and ensure the strategy leads to meaningful impact.

By working with us, you will get:

• Support to develop an anti-poverty strategy for your organisation or region, which outlines how to deliver an effective response to poverty at a local level
• Guidance on how to implement the strategy to ensure it delivers for those in need
• Support integrating the strategy throughout your organisation, meaning the strategy will align with other relevant work, policies and procedures
• Ongoing strategic oversight from our policy and research team on the development and implementation of the strategy
• Our advice on how to engage those with lived experience of poverty in a meaningful and ethical way, to scrutinise and offer guidance on the anti-poverty strategy to ensure it is working best for your locality.

To find out more about working with us, please contact Thomas Waring at thomas@resolvepoverty.org or book a free initial 30-minute meeting with us.

Our work has also been used by councils from Sefton to Stockton to inform their approaches to anti-poverty strategy development. We used our anti-poverty strategy framework to inform work for NHS Greater Manchester on how the organisation can ensure tackling poverty is a strategic priority, demonstrating the relevance of our work to other types of organisations beyond local authorities. You can read more about our work for NHS Greater Manchester here.

At Resolve Poverty we know that the socio-economic duty can act as a powerful tool for addressing poverty and creating a fairer society. Our report published in partnership with Just Fair illustrates the impact effective implementation of the duty can have. From enabling Merseyside Fire and Rescue to recruit more people from low income backgrounds into the fire service, through to Hartlepool Council using it to shape budgetary decisions, the duty is your ally if you want to secure internal buy-in for anti poverty work and improve outcomes for low-income residents and service users.

We are campaigning for enaction of the socio-economic duty, which is contained in Section 1 of the Equality Act 2010, by the UK Government. If enacted, the duty would legally require public authorities to consider the way their decisions increase or decrease inequalities that result from socio-economic disadvantage.

Through our work we are supporting local public bodies to voluntarily adopt the duty and maximise the impact it can have through effective implementation. Many local authorities have taken this step.

Building on our guide to implementation, we provide implementation support by:

• Training your organisation to understand the duty, and how you can use the adoption of the duty to address socio-economic disadvantage
• Review your organisation’s policies and procedures and produce guidance on where the duty can be integrated into these
• Support the organisation to gather and understand data and case studies which can be used effectively as a tool for decision-making and accountability around adopting the duty
• Providing resources which can be used in your future work to ensure the adoption of the duty has the best possible impact
• Supporting your organisation to measure the impact of adopting the duty on tackling socio-economic disadvantage.

To find out more about working with us, please contact Thomas Waring at thomas@resolvepoverty.org or book a free initial 30-minute meeting with us.

We recognise that localities are struggling with prioritisation in the context of widespread public sector cuts. Justifying investing in anti-poverty activity among competing priorities can be difficult, but we can support you by looking into existing practice to advise on ways to make sure the work you’re already doing is working well to support people experiencing poverty.

We offer a review of your organisation’s policies and procedures to ensure they are focused on poverty alleviation, and will deliver for those who are experiencing poverty. We can focus on individual pieces of work or policies, or provide a full review of your organisation’s practices and procedures. We have proven success in supporting organisations across the country to tackle poverty locally, meaning our expertise can help you deliver effective anti-poverty efforts.

Our work includes:

• Evaluating policies and practices to check they are fulfilling the needs of people experiencing poverty and ensuring cost effectiveness.
• Reviewing programmes, work or activities and highlighting where this work may exacerbate inequality arising from socio-economic disadvantage.
• Make recommendations to ensure anti-poverty practice is a priority for your organisation.

If you are interested in speaking to us about this work, please contact Thomas Waring at thomas@resolvepoverty.org or book a free initial 30-minute meeting with us.

Case studies:

• Local welfare provision: Salford City Council commissioned Resolve Poverty to evaluate their Household Support Fund offer and its impact across the borough, to offer learnings for the delivery of future local welfare provision in Salford, with the aim of positive outcomes for Salford’s residents at the heart of the commission. Resolve Poverty conducted a thorough evaluation, engaging residents with lived experience of poverty and stakeholders from within the Council and its partner organisations and were able to offer a number of recommendations to Salford City Council, including: how to simplify application processes to ensure maximum take-up; embarking on a pilot scheme to test new forms of welfare support; and how to more effectively utilise locally held data.
• Council Tax debt procedures: Resolve Poverty can help to analyse Council Tax debt procedures to check they are not inordinately punitive and that they take a fair and considerate approach to households who are struggling to meet their obligations. We recognise that some methods of debt collection for Council Tax debt are expensive for councils and often ineffective in debt recovery. Our evaluation can advise on better ways to support residents who are struggling to pay bills, while also recommending money-saving measures for councils. 

Established in 2021, our Local Authority Officers’ Forum provides a dedicated space to convene Greater Manchester’s ten local authorities and the combined authority around the poverty agenda, hear from external speakers around the UK on different poverty-related themes, and stimulate discussion about what more can be done to prevent and reduce poverty in local areas.

The forum objectives are to: 

• Generate a greater awareness of best practices and innovative approaches to preventing and reducing poverty among local authorities in Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority 
• Inspire authorities to prioritise issues raised in the forum and act, drawing on best practices and policies showcased in the forum.

Topics discussed at the forum include developing and implementing local anti-poverty strategies, Council Tax support schemes and maximising the effectiveness of the Household Support Fund.

We are always looking for contributors and subject matter experts to present and partake in the forum discussion on topics that fall within our key policy areas, especially local authorities, combined authorities, anti-poverty organisations, and academics with a research interest in poverty. The forum meets every two months.

If you would like to learn more about the forum or are interested in presenting, contact Penny Rimmer at penny@resolvepoverty.org.