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Greenwich Supports strategy

Priority 3: Address the risk factors and root causes of poverty

Poverty is structural and requires addressing the systems that cause and perpetuate it. We want to prevent poverty rather than just deal with its consequences.  

Our challenge

How might we shift investment and action to address the root causes of poverty and other societal, environmental and economic harms? 

Intended outcomes

Reduction of relative poverty.

How we will do this

Priority 3.1: enhance quality of life and prosperity for local people and businesses through inclusive economic growth

  • The Inclusive Economy Strategy sets out how the council and local partners will work over the next decade to ensure everyone can reach their potential and share in the borough's wealth and opportunities. It focuses not just on growth itself, but on how people and places can benefit from that growth – Inclusive Economy Strategy (2024 – 2034).

  • Tackling inequality is an important theme of this strategy which is an essential step towards addressing the risk factors and root causes of poverty. 

  • Prepare an annual implementation plan to review progress toward the actions that are set out in the Inclusive Economy Strategy. 

  • Create a joint action plan between Inclusive Economy and Greenwich Supports Strategies to address shared objectives. Such as removing barriers to work faced by specific groups, better understanding the causes of in-work poverty, and supporting greater integration of support services designed to reduce poverty.

Priority 3.2: advocate for local needs and best practices to influence national policy reform

To address poverty and tackle economic inequality upstream we will advocate for: 

  • A progressive, fair, and unavoidable taxation that supports productive activity and a fair distribution of economic power and earnings.  

  • Universal provision of high-quality childcare.  

  • Investment in new and current social homes.   

  • Good job strategies for fair wages to live on, decent conditions and sustainable local impact. 

  • Skills development and career progression opportunities, ensuring people have access to valued careers. Life-long formal, informal and on-the-job skills development opportunities. 

  • Welfare reform and stigma reduction. 

  • Lobby central government to recognise the value of prevention and early intervention by devolving prioritised funding locally.  

  • Use lobbying and press opportunities to promote local support and best practices. Potentially highlight unclaimed benefits. 

  • Align Greenwich Supports strategy with regional and national strategies and efforts.  

  • Advocate for universal life skills education and training.