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York has the opportunity to lead the way on tackling poverty again

By Professor John Hudson

Opinion piece published by The Yorkshire Post on Monday 5 October. Read the article online in The Yorkshire Post, or below. 

In 1901, Seebohm Rowntree published Poverty: A Study of Town Life – a landmark, first-of-its-kind study. 

Based on a meticulous collection of evidence about the living conditions of ordinary households in York, it found that around three in ten were living in poverty. The book was immediately influential, deepening understanding of the causes of poverty and influencing social policy reforms that lifted the incomes of millions.

Much has changed in the 125 years since, but a review of contemporary evidence assembled by the University of York’s Cost of Living Research Group and community researchers from Lived Insights shows deep poverty and inequality endure in the city today. 

Affordable housing 

York has the least affordable housing of any major northern city; almost one in five children live in relative poverty after housing costs, and low-income households in York are more likely to fall below the poverty line than those in London.

This week, to mark the book’s 125th anniversary, local stakeholders from a wide cross-section of groups and organisations in York, including York Central MP Rachael Maskell, will come together to discuss what more can be done to address poverty in contemporary York. 

Local anti-poverty strategy

Political leaders in the city have shown strong commitment to doing so: last year, the City of York Council adopted a formal local anti-poverty strategy, a step that only around one in five local councils have taken but that many more plan to take soon.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has prioritised tackling the UK’s sustained cost of living crisis by achieving good growth in every postcode, backed by “the biggest redistribution of power this country has seen” to empower English regions to deliver this change. Questions about how local councils and regional mayors can work together with Westminster and local communities to tackle poverty and inequality are set to rise up the political agenda.

The Prime Minister’s acceleration of English devolution provides us with an opportunity to achieve good growth that lifts the incomes of all, but only if local and regional leaders commit to making poverty reduction an integral part of their agenda.

John Hudson, Professor of Social Policy, School for Business and Society.

Collaboratively developed local anti-poverty plans can improve outcomes by facilitating strong place-based working that tailors policy to local needs. The acceleration of English devolution will give regions and localities the power to go further here and create new opportunities for a ‘test and learn’ approach to policy development as they try out new approaches to poverty reduction and learn from each other as they adapt approaches tried elsewhere for their own local needs.

We can already see strong examples of this in some regions. The North East Mayor, Kim McGuiness, has made child poverty her number one focus and introduced a wide range of local and regional policy innovations that have influenced policy elsewhere.

Good growth

Research by the University of York shows that the statutory powers of English regions leave them well placed to take a lead role in poverty prevention; adult skills and employment, housing and transport all tap into structural determinants of poverty. 

However, not all regions adopt such a strategic positioning of their role, missing the opportunity to connect key elements of the policy ecosystem that can help reduce the risk of individuals falling into poverty through inclusive growth agendas. The Prime Minister’s acceleration of English devolution provides us with an opportunity to achieve good growth that lifts the incomes of all, but only if local and regional leaders commit to making poverty reduction an integral part of their agenda.

Further information

John Hudson is Professor of Social Policy in the School for Business and Society.

Poverty and Progress? 125 years on from Rowntree's study of life in York 2026 marks the 125th anniversary of Seebohm Rowntree’s groundbreaking study of living conditions in York at the turn of the 20th century, which broke new ground in the measurement of poverty.

Find out more about York's research into the cost of living