Chamber adds its weight to the Poverty Commission

Clive Memmott, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

Clive Memmott, Chamber Chief Executive, and Baroness Beverley Hughes, the Chamber’s Policy Advisor, represented the interests of the business community on the Bishop of Manchester’s Greater Manchester Poverty Commission, whose report was published recently.

An authoritative summary of the current economic circumstances and demographics of the people of Greater Manchester, the Commission also added a distinctive dimension to the statistics by taking evidence from residents in each of the ten local authority areas in Greater Manchester. These subjective accounts of the experience of living in hardship provided qualitative and compelling details about how people attempted to cope with poverty and its underlying causes, whether arising from unemployment, low pay, ill-health and disability or old age.

With 2.7 million residents and 1.2 million jobs, Greater Manchester is a key economic centre for the North of England and the country as a whole. However, despite significant economic progress in the sub-region, concentrations of poverty and deprivation in Greater Manchester continue to hold back our economy as well as the future prospects for the families and communities affected. A particular concern are the high levels of child poverty and youth unemployment.

Baroness Hughes said: “There is no doubt the high levels of poverty in Greater Manchester are not only an important social issue, but also a major economic challenge, and therefore a significant issue for the business community. Getting people into work, helping them stay in work and making work pay have to be priorities if Greater Manchester is to come closer to realising its significant economic potential."

The Commission made a number of key recommendations including measures to promote training, jobs and growth. The rise in poverty amongst those in work prompted support for the move to a Living Wage where economic conditions and business circumstances allow, as well as for coordinated action to tackle worklessness and support entry into work. A number of Local Authorities, including Manchester City Council, are considering the report. The Commission will meet in six months time to review progress on implementing its recommendations.