Social Mobility Commission

The Social Mobility Commission would like to thank the Joseph Rowntree Foundation for hosting a very informative and productive seminar earlier this month. A report of this seminar will appear on the website shortly.

Thank to you the many organisations and individuals who have submitted evidence to the commission. They are now listed on the evidence received page.

This independent commission was established by Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg MP in January 2008 to investigate the reasons for Britain’s apparently low levels of social mobility and will recommend policy changes to enable children from disadvantaged backgrounds to fulfill their full potential.

Current evidence suggests that social mobility is currently lower in the UK than in most western democracies.

The very high levels of child poverty in the United Kingdom are already deeply concerning. But the evidence of reducing social mobility is particularly alarming because of the potential for a child’s life chances to be determined - much more than in the fifties or sixties - by the circumstances of his or her birth.

Key questions to be considered by the Commission will include:

• Why does social mobility in Britain appear to have stalled and to what extent is it now lower than other countries?
• Have significant increases in public spending in recent years made measurable improvements to social mobility or are they likely to do so in the longer term?
• What are the potential benefits to wider British society of improved levels of social mobility?
• What policy changes, within sensible spending limits, would improve the ability of people from poor backgrounds to improve their life chances. Specifically, how important are: increasing incomes for the poorest families; education and health services; decentralisation and local community empowerment.

The Commission will report back to Nick Clegg in early 2009. The commission is entirely independent. The Liberal Democrats will consider how to take forward its recommendations as party policy but the commission’s report and conclusions will also be published and be available to all political parties.

How you can contribute to the commission’s work

The Commission is keen to consult with, and take evidence from, leading organisations and individuals working in this field and would like to invite you to submit your ideas.

The key questions we would like you to consider are:

• What should be done by a future government to ensure that all children, whatever their background, can fulfill their potential?
• In particular, what policy changes are needed to improve opportunities and reduce inequalities in:
  • Education
  • Health
  • Employment
  • Housing
  • Neighbourhoods and communities
  • Parenting and family life

The commission is interested in any ideas and is particularly keen to hear about any practical examples of initiatives which may have a wider application.

Please send your submissions to info@socialmobilitycommission.org as soon as possible.

The report Social Mobility: A background review has been prepared for the Social Mobility Commission by the IPPR. It provides a brief overview of the main evidence on social mobility in Britain – the trends, drivers and potential areas for action.

The report provides a foundation for the Commission’s deliberations setting out some of the areas of policy which are likely to have an impact on levels of social mobility, as well as some more general challenges for policy makers.