Time to act

Poverty in the UK is higher than at any point in the 21st Century. Now is the time to act.  

This week, the Social Metrics Commission has reported that nearly one in four people (24%) in the UK are now judged to be experiencing poverty, a rise of nearly 2% in the last two years. 2.1 million more people are now living in poverty than two years ago.

Children and people with disabilities have been particularly hard hit by this rise. More than one in three children (36%) now live in families that are experiencing poverty. 8.7 million people in poverty are disabled themselves, or live with someone who is disabled. More than half (54%) of all people experiencing poverty live in a family that includes a disabled person. Poverty rates are also higher for Black and Minority Ethnic families.

As a movement of people committed to seeing an end to poverty in the UK, this is another rallying cry to action. We know that in our communities, this rise in poverty means that more of us are struggling every day against hardship, hunger and isolation. The Commission found that people struggling against poverty are more likely to have poor mental health, be living on their own and have poorer physical health. From our own experiences and our relationships with others, we know how damaging poverty can be in every aspect of life.

But we also know that this rise in poverty is restricting so much potential that already exists in our communities. We know that our neighbourhoods are places of welcome, creativity and imagination, where the best solutions to poverty can be generated when we come together. As we’ve travelled across the UK this year with the Dreams & Realities exhibition, taken part in Neighbourhood Voices conversations and joined in with Artists for Change, we’ve strengthened our imaginations as we’ve pictured a different future. As we’ve written to the Prime Minister, hosted hustings and conversations with candidates in the election, we’ve demonstrated that solutions to poverty already exist. We know that the dreams we have for our own futures, for our friends and families and for our wider neighbourhoods could be a reality, if poverty wasn’t getting in the way.

This is the vision we have to hold alongside these statistics to remember that this rise in poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s a consequence of choices and decisions that can be made differently. Whilst levels of poverty in the UK are higher than at any point in this century, they have also never fallen below 21% in the last 24 years. This consistently high, and now increasing, impact on our communities demands a different kind of response. Now is the time that we have to come together, to imagine a different future and build the foundations change requires.

A challenge on this scale requires collaboration, and commitment to a shared vision that change is possible. That’s what it takes to be a movement, where we can bring together our resources, lived experience, creativity and ingenuity to build solutions that will last.

In her foreword to the report, Baroness Stroud (CEO for the Centre for Social Policy Studies) says that her hope is that when the Commission reports again next year, “we can start to show that progress is being made”. Our challenge now is to be part of the movement that makes that progress happen. Are you in?

The Social Metrics Commission was founded in 2016 to develop a new approach to poverty measurement, that better reflects the nature and experiences of poverty in the UK. You can read their full report, launched 18 November 2024, at https://socialmetricscommission.org.uk/social-metrics-commission-2024-report/.            

By Hannah Fremont-Brown, Let’s End Poverty Coordinator for The Methodist Church