Neighbourhoods where there is a strong attachment to traditional values of thrift, hard work and independence; where there is a reluctance to rely on the state; where there is a concern to do one’s best for one’s children. Is this Middle England? No, it’s a description of six disadvantaged neighbourhoods across Britain, studied in depth over a period of three years.
No sign here of dislocation from social norms; of a counter-culture of welfare dependency, of an unwillingness to provide for oneself and one’s family – but many stories of striving to cling on and get by in challenging circumstances and, sometimes, challenging places.
The stories from people in these neighbourhoods have been captured in words, voices, images and film; available to read about and available to view at a new exhibition in London.
That’s not to say that the judgment between “deserving” and “undeserving” poor people did not find resonance in these places (Sorry Rowan. It did). There were negative views about “feckless'” others who played the system, and clear support for the principle of making work pay. But whether they worked for a wage or not, the people in this study knew for sure that they sat fair and square within the “deserving” group.
Indeed, when people came to tell their own stories, there were often clear and understandable reasons for not working: jobs that came and went (or weren’t there at all); chronic health problems; lives devoted to caring for others. And in some places, a commitment to their local area that removed any prospect of moving up by moving out. Who would look after their mum around the corner? Who would look after their children when they were at work? Who would tide them over with financial help at times of crisis?
So will current government initiatives help? The proposals for a universal credit? The designation of 21 new enterprise zones? The “de-bureaucratisation” of planning? Well, time will tell. Trouble is, poor people and poor places are invariably far more complex than the policy responses to the issues they face. Check out the report and exhibition to get a handle on why.
• Alison Jarvis is a programme manager for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
