Tackling Poverty

Poverty is about more than a lack of income.  To improve the life chances of people and target the causes of poverty there needs to be:

• Greater access to jobs,
• Improved early years provision
• Enhancement of skills and educational achievement
• Regeneration of our communities

• Better health and public services.

Tackling inequaliities is a massive challenge.  While the prosperity of the country as a whole is improving, the inequalities in income and other negative outcomes are widening. The causes and consequences of poverty are complex and require concerted action across government to address community, economic, cultural and environmental factors.

What is meant by 'tackling poverty'?

This can mean many things. It may be...

• improving the quality of life of people experiencing poverty
• improving the chances of people living in poverty to escape poverty
• lifting people out of poverty

• preventing people living on the margins of poverty from falling into poverty