Why Wales must solve poverty

Victoria Winckler looks at the case for solving poverty and how it should be done.

The latest figures on poverty make clear that it’s a big problem which  shows no sign of going away.  Quite what to do about it has been less clear. The UK government tried to define it out of existence, while the Welsh Government’s various “tackling poverty” plans were laudable but simply too small and thinly-spread to affect the headline poverty rate.

Extraordinarily, given the scale, persistence and impact of poverty, until today there have been no strategies based on sound evidence. Instead, they’ve been based on the hunches and prejudices of the government of the day.  Imagine if, say, high blood pressure were treated with whatever therapy a doctor might believe works, rather than the therapies shown by research to be most effective.

Today’s publication of an anti poverty strategy by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation is set to change all that.  Based on a unique, extensive review of “what works”, covering everything from childcare and parenting to the cost of living, crime and housing, the findings ought to set the agenda on poverty for many years. It’s like NICE guidance on poverty.

It’s also important because it’s not just about what governments can do. It’s about the role of business, local authorities, trades unions and, importantly, individuals and families.

The case for action is more compelling than ever. Poverty blights lives, causing ill health and even premature death. It puts enormous stress and emotional strain on people, and it wastes the potential of future generations, as talented children fail to get into top jobs. And if that isn’t enough, it costs the Welsh public purse around £4.4 billion a year.

And most important of all, almost everyone – including you, dear reader – is at risk of poverty. Losing a job, a partner or your health happens to thousands of people each year, and can be enough to tip a household over the poverty threshold.

Poverty may now have a low profile in Welsh Government policy, but the problem and the urgent need for action hasn’t gone away. With the most promising blueprint to emerge in years being just a click away, now is the time to “solve poverty”.

Everyone, including government, businesses, unions, charities, landlords and individuals should take action.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s comprehensive long-term strategy ‘We can solve poverty in the UK’ is available to download here.