Tackling Poverty in Leicester
Jobs, skills and transport
Raising skills and improving the level and quality of jobs available in Leicester is a key area of focus. We know that poverty is likely to affect those adults who are not in work and we want to improve the access and support available for those entitled to a range of welfare benefits.
However, the nature of poverty has changed over recent years. A growing and often hidden group of people experiencing poverty are those who are working. The type of work and the number of hours varies greatly, but across many sectors people are trying their very best to support themselves and their families through work, but are still experiencing poverty. Nationally, the number of children in poverty in households where all the parent(s) work full time – both single and couple-parents – doubled from 200,000 in 2012/13 to 400,000 in 2017/18.
Transport is a key enabler. Accessible and affordable transport is vital to help people to access training and job opportunities, develop skills and gain employment. Many of the issues relating to transport strongly link across to the climate emergency strategy. Improving access to transport and increasing active travel options, through initiatives such as Choose How You Move, are likely to improve not only the financial situation for Leicester residents but also improve the carbon footprint of the city overall (as well as offering related health benefits).
(Locked Out: Transport Poverty in England, Sustrans)
It is also increasingly important for people to develop digital skills. As many organisations become ‘digital by default’ and encourage customers to contact them online, not having access to these skills and the associated equipment presents a huge disadvantage. The Good Things Foundation's National Databank allows organisations to refer people who are unable to access the internet due to cost, as well as supporting wider digital skills.
Summary
- Economic inactivity in Leicester is currently 3.2%, compared with 2.6% for the East Midlands. The national figure is 2.9%.
- Average earnings in Leicester is currently £22,157 as compared to Leicestershire where the figure is £29,444. The city average earning has fallen by around £1,000 since 2013 whereas the England average has risen by around £3,000 over the same period.
- 28% of Leicester’s adult working population are resident in the 5% most deprived areas nationally. 52% are living in the 20% most deprived.
- Qualification levels are generally low across the city when compared with regional and national averages. The percentage of people with no recognised qualifications is around 2.5 times the national rate.
What people told us
Concerns around poor quality of jobs, in-work poverty and work readiness were the dominant topics.
Skills
It’s often difficult for people to stay in work when they get it. Upskilling was suggested as a solution, as well employers providing development opportunities which are realistic and supportive. Employers could move towards becoming “shapers, not takers”. It was widely acknowledged that Leicester has a high proportion of low-paid jobs, with little room for progression, which offer employees a lack of security or flexibility. Engage businesses in skills development opportunities such as apprenticeships.
Low wages
Engagement with businesses, recognise the problem of in-work poverty.
Applications
Organisations which support job seekers highlighted how hard applications had become to navigate, and for some people they had become inaccessible. “Generating access” for people who struggle to complete these applications online, and training to do so, could combat this.
Aspirations
Need to broaden outlook and aspirations.
Transport
Travel to work training. Expanding people’s geographic comfort zone, so they can work outside of it. Transport season ticket and travel loans via employers. Subsidised travel schemes. Active travel such as bike hire scheme and Cycle to Work campaigns.
A transport season ticket is a great idea that will help people to stay in a job, not just start one. The loan can be paid back over the year.
Our actions and intentions
Everyone should be able to access employment that enables them to work in a way that supports their families. Workplaces and education venues should be easily accessed using an affordable public transport system.
The council helps secure this by:
- offering a range of adult education opportunities to improve skills and employability
- working to eradicate exploitation in workplaces across the city including signposting and referral to support for vulnerable workers
- paying at least the level of the ‘real living wage’ to all council employees
- providing apprenticeship opportunities to young people to help them begin and move along a career path
- supporting the bus partnership to implement its action plan
- building an extensive network of high quality and safe cycling and walking routes, connecting neighbourhoods with employment areas and encouraging healthy and sustainable travel
- continuing to champion sustainable forms of transport such as the electric bike hire scheme (RideOn Leicester), encouraging active travel to schools and workplaces and promoting walking and cycling
In addition, the council intends to:
- use the council’s considerable buying power to support local communities by influencing how contracts are awarded (according to the council’s Social Value in Procurement policy)
- design and publish resource packs to help employers to support their staff who may be experiencing poverty
- encourage local employers to implement the ‘real living wage’ and ‘living hours’
- sign up to the Co-Operative Party’s ‘Charter Against Modern Slavery’
- lobby government to include annual bus passes in salary sacrifice schemes, giving working bus users the same tax-efficient travel opportunities that are already available for cyclists
- lobby government to support other targeted, subsidised bus travel schemes designed to benefit communities living in poverty
- continue to issue Travel aid bus passes offering 50% off bus travel for unemployed jobseekers
- continue to offer low cost bike and electric bike hire through our "Wheels2Work" scheme - helping people access employment opportunities
- work with employers to offer discounted access to the city's e-bike share scheme
- continue to provide discounted bus fares at peak times for city residents with a concessionary bus pass - helping elderly and mobility impaired users by exceeding the requirements of the national concessionary card scheme
- work in partnership with bus operators to provide best value, high quality, reliable and sustainable bus services for all residents, businesses, commuters and visitors to the city
Data: jobs, skills, and transport
Income, education and skills
Leicester is amongst the 10% most deprived local authorities for income and education, skills and training.
| Domains | Rank 2015 | Rank 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| IMD | 21 | 32 |
| Income | 17 | 18 |
| Employment | 51 | 67 |
| Education, skills and training | 8 | 14 |
Qualifications - January to December 2018
| Qualification level | Leicester (level) | Leicester | East Midlands | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVQ4 and above | 66,400 | 28.4% | 33.2% | 39.3% |
| NVQ3 and above | 105,000 | 44.9% | 54.0% | 57.8% |
| NVQ2 and above |
139,500 |
59.7% | 72.0% | 74.9% |
| NVQ1 and above | 162,000 | 69.3% | 84.1% | 85.4% |
| Other | 27,200 | 11.7% | 7.8% | 6.8% |
Digital exclusion
The 2018 Leicester Health and Wellbeing Survey shows what we know about people in Leicester who are digitally excluded.The council’s STAR team (supporting tenants and residents) offers services to some of the most vulnerable tenants across the city. They collected data on access to digital services and report that supporting people who are digitally excluded require considerable resources to be put in by the STAR team.
