Projects
Towards a national poverty strategy
With the publication in September 1999 of Opportunity for all: tackling poverty and social exclusion, the government set out the first phase of a national anti-poverty strategy. This strategy, produced jointly by ourselves and the Fabian Society, brings together the many initiatives and plans that are now in place to reduce poverty and social exclusion. It also demonstrates the commitment of the government to the subject and the breadth of the actions that it is taking.
But these actions largely lie with the government itself, focusing on the education system, the social security system, the management of the economy, the health service and the planning system as it impacts on housing. While this represents a natural starting point for an anti-poverty strategy, the private sector, local government and the voluntary and community sectors also have important roles to play. To succeed, the anti-poverty strategy now in place has to develop from being a government one to being one that is truly national.
With the support of a range of organisations, including companies, trade unions and charities, this project was set up in order to examine and report on how the anti-poverty strategy could be developed to achieve this end. Particular recommendations relate to:
- How to improve the quality of work at the lower end of the market.
- How to ensure those on low income share in the benefit from the modernisation of local government, irrespective of where they live.
- How to ensure essential services such as water and electricity are accessible and affordable to all.
View/download the executive summary.