This Council believes:

·            Levels of income, housing, education, health and environmental inequality now reached in the UK have not been seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.  These inequalities are further exacerbated across regions, classes; genders; races; ages; and for those with and without disabilities. The growth in UK inequalities are well documented and the steps needed to address them are clearly laid out in: the Marmot Review: 10 Years On (2020); The Institute for Public Policy Research’s Economic Justice Commission (2028); and the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ ongoing Deaton Review of Inequalities. Trafford specific inequalities and the Council’s approach to tackling them are set out in the Trafford Poverty Strategy for 2020/21.

·            Local Government services have suffered disproportionately in their ability to mitigate the impact of this inequality crisis, primarily as a result of the Conservative Government’s austerity measures over the last 11 years. This has further weakened individuals, families, neighbourhoods and communities to collectively withstand the worsening economic climate in the UK and, most recently, the impact of the pandemic.

This Council calls for:

·            A national, cross-party commitment to implementing the steps required to ensure the inequality crisis is tackled with real impact. This commitment needs to reflect the levels of public and political support that was given to the 1943 Beveridge Report that led to the creation of the modern welfare state which has been so drastically undermined over the last 40 years, contributing to the current crisis of inequality. In particular, this cross-party approach must include a commitment to using the Marmot Review’s recommendations as a basic framework for identifying the key actions required to tackle the serious structural inequalities that now exist in the UK. Greater Manchester has already made this commitment, becoming the country’s first Marmot City Region in 2020, but the Government must invest in the following areas to ensure the whole nation follows Manchester’s example. These actions include but are not limited to:

-        Giving every child the best start in life:

by increasing central government levels of spending on: early years and, as a minimum, meet the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average and ensuring funding is proportionately higher for more deprived areas; reducing levels of child poverty to 10 percent – level with the lowest rates in Europe; improving the availability and quality of early years services, Children’s Centres, in all regions of England; and increasing the pay and qualification requirements for the childcare workforce.

-        Enabling all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives:

put equity at the heart of national decisions about education policy and funding; increase attainment to match the best in Europe by reducing inequalities in attainment; invest in preventative services to reduce exclusions and support schools to stop off rolling pupils; restore the per-pupil funding for secondary schools and especially sixth form, at least in line with 2010 levels and up to the level of London (excluding London weighting).

-        Creating fair employment and good work for all:

by developing an industrial strategy that focuses on diversifying our manufacturing base and addressing regional imbalances through a National Investment Bank directing state support for industry, particularly the digital and green economies; reforming the skills systems in the UK to meet the needs of the economy;  reforming the UK’s immigration system to promote human dignity, prosperity and justice, rather than using reductions in net migration as the definition of success; investing in good quality active labour market policies and reducing conditionalities and sanctions in benefit entitlement, particularly for those with children; reduce in-work poverty by increasing the National Living Wage, achieving a minimum income for healthy living for those in work; a target of doubling collective bargaining coverage to 50 per cent of workers by 2030, with a focus on the lowest paid sectors; a new ‘right to access’ that would give unions stronger rights of physical access to workplaces, combined with a ‘digital right of access’ to reach remote workers and a new ‘right to join’ for workers.

-       Ensuring a healthy standard of living for all:

by ensuring everyone has a minimum income for healthy living through increases to the National Living Wage and redesign of Universal Credit; removing sanctions and reducing conditionalities in welfare payments; putting health equity and wellbeing at the heart of local, regional and national economic planning and strategy; adopting inclusive growth and social value approaches nationally and locally to value health and wellbeing as well as, or more than, economic efficiency; review the taxation and benefit system to ensure it achieves greater equity and ensure effective tax rates are not regressive.

-        Creating and developing healthy and sustainable places and communities:

by investing in the development of economic, social and cultural resources in the most deprived communities; 100% of new housing being carbon neutral by 2028; vastly accelerated grant funding with the sole purpose of building social housing in order to solve the housing crisis; aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2038, whilst ensuring inequalities do not widen as a result.

This Council calls on:

The Leader to write to the Prime Minister, with copies sent to the leaders of all major political parties, asking him to:

·            Publicly acknowledge that social and economic inequalities have increased unsustainably in the UK in recent decades and have been exacerbated by 11 years of austerity policies and the recent effects of the pandemic. Furthermore, that it is clear that the level of inequalities are now such that they threaten the UK’s political, social and economic stability and international standing as a nation of fairness and opportunity for all.

·            Implement the above recommendations in order that the country’s crisis of social and economic inequality be effectively tackled over the coming decade and beyond.

It was moved and seconded that:

“This Council believes:

·            Levels of income, housing, education, health and environmental inequality now reached in the UK have not been seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.  These inequalities are further exacerbated across regions, classes; genders; races; ages; and for those with and without disabilities. The growth in UK inequalities are well documented and the steps needed to address them are clearly laid out in: the Marmot Review: 10 Years On (2020); The IPPR’s Economic Justice Commission (2028); and the IFS’s ongoing Deaton Review of Inequalities. Trafford specific inequalities and the Council’s approach to tackling them are set out in the Trafford Poverty Strategy for 2020/21.

·            Local Government services have suffered disproportionately in their ability to mitigate the impact of this inequality crisis, primarily as a result of the Conservative Government’s austerity measures over the last 11 years. This has further weakened individuals, families, neighbourhoods and communities to collectively withstand the worsening economic climate in the UK and, most recently, the impact of the pandemic.

This Council calls for:

·            A national, cross-party commitment to implementing the steps required to ensure the inequality crisis is tackled with real impact. This commitment needs to reflect the levels of public and political support that was given to the 1943 Beveridge Report that led to the creation of the modern welfare state which has been so drastically undermined over the last 40 years, contributing to the current crisis of inequality. In particular, this cross-party approach must include a commitment to using the Marmot Review’s recommendations as a basic framework for identifying the key actions required to tackle the serious structural inequalities that now exist in the UK. Greater Manchester has already made this commitment, becoming the country’s first Marmot City Region in 2020, but the Government must invest in the following areas to ensure the whole nation follows Manchester’s example. These actions include but are not limited to:

-        Giving every child the best start in life:

       by increasing central government levels of spending on: early years and, as a minimum, meet the OECD average and ensuring funding is proportionately higher for more deprived areas; reducing levels of child poverty to 10 percent – level with the lowest rates in Europe; improving the availability and quality of early years services, Children’s Centres, in all regions of England; and increasing the pay and qualification requirements for the childcare workforce.

-        Enabling all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives:

       put equity at the heart of national decisions about education policy and funding; increase attainment to match the best in Europe by reducing inequalities in attainment; invest in preventative services to reduce exclusions and support schools to stop off rolling pupils; restore the per-pupil funding for secondary schools and especially sixth form, at least in line with 2010 levels and up to the level of London (excluding London weighting).

-        Creating fair employment and good work for all:

       by developing an industrial strategy that focuses on diversifying our manufacturing base and addressing regional imbalances through a National Investment Bank directing state support for industry, particularly the digital and green economies; reforming the skills systems in the UK to meet the needs of the economy;  reforming the UK’s immigration system to promote human dignity, prosperity and justice, rather than using reductions in net migration as the definition of success; investing in good quality active labour market policies and reducing conditionalities and sanctions in benefit entitlement, particularly for those with children; reduce in-work poverty by increasing the National Living Wage, achieving a minimum income for healthy living for those in work; a target of doubling collective bargaining coverage to 50 per cent of workers by 2030, with a focus on the lowest paid sectors; a new ‘right to access’ that would give unions stronger rights of physical access to workplaces, combined with a ‘digital right of access’ to reach remote workers and a new ‘right to join’ for workers.

-        Ensuring a healthy standard of living for all:

       by ensuring everyone has a minimum income for healthy living through increases to the National Living Wage and redesign of Universal Credit; removing sanctions and reducing conditionalities in welfare payments; putting health equity and wellbeing at the heart of local, regional and national economic planning and strategy; adopting inclusive growth and social value approaches nationally and locally to value health and wellbeing as well as, or more than, economic efficiency; review the taxation and benefit system to ensure it achieves greater equity and ensure effective tax rates are not regressive.

-        Creating and developing healthy and sustainable places and communities:

       by investing in the development of economic, social and cultural resources in the most deprived communities; 100% of new housing being carbon neutral by 2028; vastly accelerated grant funding with the sole purpose of building social housing in order to solve the housing crisis; aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2038, whilst ensuring inequalities do not widen as a result.

This Council calls on:

The Leader to write to the Prime Minister, with copies sent to the leaders of all major political parties, asking him to:

·            Publicly acknowledge that social and economic inequalities have increased unsustainably in the UK in recent decades and have been exacerbated by 11 years of austerity policies and the recent effects of the pandemic. Furthermore, that it is clear that the level of inequalities are now such that they threaten the UK’s political, social and economic stability and international standing as a nation of fairness and opportunity for all.

·            Implement the above recommendations in order that the country’s crisis of social and economic inequality be effectively tackled over the coming decade and beyond.”

Following a debate on the matter, the Motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

RESOLVED: That this Council believes:

·            Levels of income, housing, education, health and environmental inequality now reached in the UK have not been seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.  These inequalities are further exacerbated across regions, classes; genders; races; ages; and for those with and without disabilities. The growth in UK inequalities are well documented and the steps needed to address them are clearly laid out in: the Marmot Review: 10 Years On (2020); The IPPR’s Economic Justice Commission (2028); and the IFS’s ongoing Deaton Review of Inequalities. Trafford specific inequalities and the Council’s approach to tackling them are set out in the Trafford Poverty Strategy for 2020/21.

·            Local Government services have suffered disproportionately in their ability to mitigate the impact of this inequality crisis, primarily as a result of the Conservative Government’s austerity measures over the last 11 years. This has further weakened individuals, families, neighbourhoods and communities to collectively withstand the worsening economic climate in the UK and, most recently, the impact of the pandemic.

This Council calls for:

·            A national, cross-party commitment to implementing the steps required to ensure the inequality crisis is tackled with real impact. This commitment needs to reflect the levels of public and political support that was given to the 1943 Beveridge Report that led to the creation of the modern welfare state which has been so drastically undermined over the last 40 years, contributing to the current crisis of inequality. In particular, this cross-party approach must include a commitment to using the Marmot Review’s recommendations as a basic framework for identifying the key actions required to tackle the serious structural inequalities that now exist in the UK. Greater Manchester has already made this commitment, becoming the country’s first Marmot City Region in 2020, but the Government must invest in the following areas to ensure the whole nation follows Manchester’s example. These actions include but are not limited to:

-        Giving every child the best start in life:

       by increasing central government levels of spending on: early years and, as a minimum, meet the OECD average and ensuring funding is proportionately higher for more deprived areas; reducing levels of child poverty to 10 percent – level with the lowest rates in Europe; improving the availability and quality of early years services, Children’s Centres, in all regions of England; and increasing the pay and qualification requirements for the childcare workforce.

-        Enabling all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives:

       put equity at the heart of national decisions about education policy and funding; increase attainment to match the best in Europe by reducing inequalities in attainment; invest in preventative services to reduce exclusions and support schools to stop off rolling pupils; restore the per-pupil funding for secondary schools and especially sixth form, at least in line with 2010 levels and up to the level of London (excluding London weighting).

-        Creating fair employment and good work for all:

       by developing an industrial strategy that focuses on diversifying our manufacturing base and addressing regional imbalances through a National Investment Bank directing state support for industry, particularly the digital and green economies; reforming the skills systems in the UK to meet the needs of the economy;  reforming the UK’s immigration system to promote human dignity, prosperity and justice, rather than using reductions in net migration as the definition of success; investing in good quality active labour market policies and reducing conditionalities and sanctions in benefit entitlement, particularly for those with children; reduce in-work poverty by increasing the National Living Wage, achieving a minimum income for healthy living for those in work; a target of doubling collective bargaining coverage to 50 per cent of workers by 2030, with a focus on the lowest paid sectors; a new ‘right to access’ that would give unions stronger rights of physical access to workplaces, combined with a ‘digital right of access’ to reach remote workers and a new ‘right to join’ for workers.

-        Ensuring a healthy standard of living for all:

       by ensuring everyone has a minimum income for healthy living through increases to the National Living Wage and redesign of Universal Credit; removing sanctions and reducing conditionalities in welfare payments; putting health equity and wellbeing at the heart of local, regional and national economic planning and strategy; adopting inclusive growth and social value approaches nationally and locally to value health and wellbeing as well as, or more than, economic efficiency; review the taxation and benefit system to ensure it achieves greater equity and ensure effective tax rates are not regressive.

-        Creating and developing healthy and sustainable places and communities:

       by investing in the development of economic, social and cultural resources in the most deprived communities; 100% of new housing being carbon neutral by 2028; vastly accelerated grant funding with the sole purpose of building social housing in order to solve the housing crisis; aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2038, whilst ensuring inequalities do not widen as a result.

This Council calls on:

The Leader to write to the Prime Minister, with copies sent to the leaders of all major political parties, asking him to:

·            Publicly acknowledge that social and economic inequalities have increased unsustainably in the UK in recent decades and have been exacerbated by 11 years of austerity policies and the recent effects of the pandemic. Furthermore, that it is clear that the level of inequalities are now such that they threaten the UK’s political, social and economic stability and international standing as a nation of fairness and opportunity for all.

·            Implement the above recommendations in order that the country’s crisis of social and economic inequality be effectively tackled over the coming decade and beyond.