Tackling Poverty & Inequalities through System Convening
- April 2024
- Lead Member Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
- Categories Poverty
Rochdale is ranked the 15th most deprived borough in England based on a rank of the average for LSOAs in the area (defined in the Indices of Deprivation). Many of the people in the borough were already significantly disadvantaged when the pandemic struck. Its primary impact was on food and poverty. The initial response saw multi-agency groups coming together to form community hubs. These hubs were reliant upon community groups and volunteers who knew and understood the communities. The hubs met the immediate needs of the most vulnerable.
It became apparent that a long-term focus on food poverty was required. Dignity was to be at the heart of the response. A system was required which could flex to need, prevent a culture of dependency from developing, provide support without judgment, which encouraged individual choice and fostered autonomy.
