Do you ever wonder that if everyone had the same opportunities in life, would the ‘captains of industry’, the people on the TV and in films, or people in positions of power be the same as they are now?
I would suggest not. I think it far more likely that some people who are currently denied opportunity, but who have a drive to learn, have talent and ambition, and with the support of well thought-out social initiatives, might rise to become business leaders, stars of stage and screen, or even world leaders.
Of course, this is mere supposition, but even if this argument had the slightest grain of feasibility, we could be denying society of undiscovered talents. On a national level, it seems incongruous that in a democratic society, some people are denied the opportunity to achieve their full potential merely by the geographical fluke of their birth.
In February, the government aired its long-awaited Levelling Up White Paper, which aims to redress the imbalance in the economic fortunes of differing areas of the country. This divide is often believed to be situated from east to west across the country, perhaps somewhere south of Birmingham. However, while the north of England certainly has its fair share of deprived towns and cities, a trip to Southend-on-Sea, or populous areas like this, would confirm that the divide isn’t geographical, its economic. To put it plainly, some regions have been allowed to fall behind, while others have risen, their success described by gleaming municipal structures, manicured housing estates and spotless business parks.
The saddest part of the economic divide isn’t a lack of infrastructure, that’s just a means to an economic end, it’s in the lives of people who are denied the chance to succeed. And success should not be measured merely in terms of wealth, it’s far more complex than that. Success depends on the individual, it’s a personal statement. It has far more to do with opportunities turned into happiness, security and well-being. It’s human nature that if you dream and nowhere in your neighbourhood, no one in your circle of acquaintances, and no economic system allows you to realise that dream, you are going to dream no more. That’s crushing to the spirit, but that’s what’s happening across the country in towns and cities, parishes and communities.
‘Levelling up’, as the government puts it, should address the economic divide, but will it? In the SVP’s response to the Levelling Up White Paper, we said that it “represents a missed opportunity to address the ingrained social and economic disparity across the UK”, and that the government must have “a robust social infrastructure” at the centre of its plans because this is “a vital component in binding communities together.”
We also cautioned Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove MP, that “change must be informed by those at grassroots level, those who are supporting people in need and those being supported. Without listening to the voices of people who are directly and indirectly affected by regional inequalities we cannot hope to direct funding to where it is most needed.”
Additionally, the SVP has advised the government that to truly ‘level up’ the country, wages which allow for a decent standard of living and fair work contracts need to be enshrined in law. We have previously called for affordable childcare costs, further investment in the provision of education and skills, and more transparency on measuring the success of government initiatives.
Political campaigning is a long game. Things don’t get sorted in the short-term, and to make a difference you need as many voices (or voters come election time) as possible in order to be heard. With this in mind, the SVP has added its considerable voice to campaigns, including the call to amend the Nationality and Borders Bill, and more recently to a cross-sector coalition of 32 infrastructure and employment and skills organisations across the UK, which is calling on the government to immediately commit to investment in people and skills under the £9bn UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which replaces the EU structural funding, and which was first mentioned in the 2017 Conservative Party manifesto.
The coalition is urging the government to engage specialist organisations and communities as critical partners in levelling up, and it is also calling for the government to share learning from other levelling up funds to inform the design and delivery of the UKSPF. The coalition is also asking the government to address inequalities and protect and promote human rights through the design of the UKSPF.
It's a sobering thought that of the £5.08bn that has been allocated thus far, only 2% will go towards supporting programmes that aim to reduce complex social issues such as homelessness, poverty and crime. Levelling up is about people and their lives, and this should be at the centre of any plan to level the country’s economic playing field.
Without a targeted, well-informed response to the issues which are actually affecting people in communities, such as low wages, the spiralling cost of living, the cost and quality of homes, the lack of provision for young people outside school, and the shadow of mental health decline which inevitably goes hand-in-hand with economic uncertainty, people will continue to be denied the opportunity to succeed in their lives.
The SVP continues to provide millions of acts of kindness across England and Wales, without which tens of thousands of people would continue to decline into poverty, ill health and fear. Our help is needed more than ever as the cost of living spirals out of control and the dream of a secure future for millions is just that, a dream.
Please help us to help our communities and heal the wounds of fate for millions. You can donate here, or if you would like to learn more about our social justice work email alessandras@svp.org.uk. Only then will the dream of equality become a reality.