Poverty and Inequality

Why Councils need to declare a Poverty Emergency - Cllr Mandy Clare

On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices we are joined by Cllr Mandy Clare from Cheshire West and Chester Council. As the Leader’s champion of Poverty and Inequality, she is calling for the full Cabinet to declare a Poverty and Inequality Emergency.

Councils around the country have been declaring climate emergencies and taking steps to mitigate against it, but Cllr Clare is hoping that now, local authorities will turn their attention to the pressing issue of poverty, and that Central Government will step in too.

The Poverty Truth Commission has been working to enable these conversations between the lived experience of poverty and the professional experience, to de-stigmatise what it means to be living in poverty in England in 2020.

Using a data driven and evidence-based approach, Cllr Clare wants her council to lead the way and give a voice to communities who are being disproportionately impacted, to share best practice through a unified council voice.

Foodbank use and cost of living have gone up but benefits and employment haven’t, leaving many people in England on the brink of poverty, and with the pandemic only adding to financial pressures, many people need support.

With shame and stigma surrounding the poverty conversation, children and young people are unable to ask for help or share their experience with others, perpetuating the cycle even further.

“We talk about weight issues, eating disorders, gender, sex and drugs in schools now but we don’t talk about poverty”

This podcast will tell you all you need to know about ensuring your council is on the right side of history with the Poverty Emergency, and no one in your region is being unnecessarily left behind.