FAIRNESS COMMISSION SPECIAL REPORT – THE SCIENCE OF POVERTY
The gap between rich and poor is bigger in Britain than in any other developed country, and wider in Islington than almost anywhere else in the UK. As Islington’s Fairness Commission publishes its findings, we talk to Professor Richard Wilkinson, the man whose research is bringing about a social revolution
Published: 17th June, 2011
A YEAR ago the new Labour leadership at the Town Hall decided to investigate the gap between rich and poor in Islington and see what, if anything, they could do to even things up.
The Fairness Commission was set up with this brief, and Professor Richard Wilkinson – renowned for his work in studying the affects of inequality on a range of problems from health to crime – was drafted in to be the chairman.
More than 500 people, from the elderly to the disabled to single mothers, attended a series of seven public meetings held over the course of the year. Hundreds of voluntary groups, businesses, charities and individuals have contributed to the evidence it gathered.
The commission’s final report, published on June 9, can be found on Islington Council’s website, but in this special pull-out the Islington Tribune has listed the main findings.
There are many critics of the Fairness Commission, the loudest saying that it has discovered nothing new and that the council is powerless to have much affect.
At the launch, Councillor Andy Hull, vice chairman of the commission, said that job now was to monitor the progress the council makes at six-monthly intervals. Members of the audience said they would be watching.
Town Hall leader Catherine West (see page VI) said she hoped the report would form the beginning of a wider debate and movement within society.
The Tribune recognises the good intent behind the commission. Britain is the most divided of developed nations and the gap has increased exponentially since the 1980s. Bridging that gap is a huge task that will take decades, but a start has to be made somewhere.
It is important, however, that the Fairness Commission doesn’t just end up being a well-meaning statistical snapshot left to gather dust in the archives – only of interest to future historians.
The Labour Council has set its stall out, and given the voters a measure by which it can be judged.
We will all be watching.
SEE ALSO:
• The Science of Poverty
• The wealth gap that makes us all the poorer
• Gentle art of persuasion...
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