Welsh Government must find new energy to reduce poverty
Here, John Griffiths AM tells why he is pushing the Welsh Government to produce an overarching strategy to end poverty in Wales...
GROWING up in the docklands of Newport gave me a lifelong passion for equality of opportunity and outcome and tackling poverty in our communities.
The fact that some basic opportunities are available to some and not to others has been a central focus throughout my political life.
More than one in five people currently live in poverty (approximately 23% of the population).
Behind these figures are 710,000 different individuals in Wales having to make difficult decisions about how to meet their basic needs and those of their families.
The prospect of playing a role in improving the life chances of working-class families brought me into active politics over 33 years ago.
While we have seen improvements over this time, the statistics are still stark, and the impact of UK Government austerity has reversed progress in some areas.
In the UK, we have the resources to ensure nobody is living below the poverty line, yet every year more and more people find themselves in that situation.
Tackling inequality is in everybody’s best interest regardless of their own personal circumstances.
As the book The Spirit Level clearly spelled out, in more equal countries the entire population benefits from improved health, reduced crime and greater prosperity.
The outlook is very concerning in Wales. Forecasts suggest that the proportion of people in poverty will increase from 23% to 27% in the coming years.
Even more damning, the number of children living in poverty could rise to 39%.
To help address some of the most prevalent issues in Wales, such as illhealth, alcohol and drug abuse, violence and the breakdown of cohesion in communities, we need a laser-like focus on reducing poverty.
The Assembly’s Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, of which I am chairman, is concerned that this doesn’t currently exist.
We face a huge challenge in Wales. We are still dealing with the aftermath of the post-industrial decline and the loss of relatively well-paid jobs in mining and steel. Families are struggling to cope with the ongoing impact.
On top of these challenges, communities are coping with the impact of the UK Government’s austerity policies which have ratcheted up stress and strain in communities and public services.
The effects are becoming increasingly clear, most obviously in the sharp increase of rough sleepers in almost every high street and community across Wales.
As the AM for Newport East, I see what all of this means for people in their day-to-day lives – how they are faced with difficult decisions about what bills to pay, how to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads, often while working in insecure, low-paid jobs with poor prospects of progression.
The committee has made poverty a focus of all its work over the past few years.
We want to see a renewed commitment from the Welsh Government, and new energy to reduce the stubborn levels and impacts of inequality. To do this, we want the Welsh Government to publish a Tackling Poverty Strategy.
This should include clear actions, with deadlines attached to each one, and performance indicators. The targets should be ambitious and really focus on the interventions that will have the most impact.
This is a view that has been supported by those organisations with expertise and experience of how to make the necessary changes, which is why it is disappointing that the Welsh Government has twice rejected our calls.
Ministers told us that they wish to avoid separate strategies that fail to take a holistic approach. But current policies are clearly not working.
Many important levers to spread prosperity remain at a UK level, but the Welsh Government has the powers and ability to make a real difference.
And to state a case for further devolution to strengthen its hand – for example, to administer welfare benefits which could result in a much fairer system, no longer penalising those least able to withstand sanctions, delays and deductions.
Reducing poverty is achievable and the Welsh Government should develop a strategy to do so.
We know the Welsh Government can be radical. The groundbreaking Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act places a duty on the public service, including the Government, to take a long-term view in policy development.
We believe our calls are totally in line with this legislation.
As well as dealing with the problems faced by Wales today, the overarching detailed strategy we advocate would help ensure we are looking to the problems we may meet in the future.
The challenges confronting our country are formidable and the economic outlook remains uncertain.
This is why it is so important that the Welsh Government place poverty reduction at the heart of its programme for government, with a clear plan for how it will be achieved.
■ John Griffiths is the Assembly Member for Newport East and chair of the Assembly’s Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, which has undertaken a number on inquiries examining poverty in Wales. Follow the committee on Twitter @SeneddELGC for more information.