‘Unsung Britain’ put the spotlight on 13 million working-age families. The next question is how we turn that attention into community-led change. 

As a seasoned remote worker, it’s not every day I leave my Hackney bubble and head into “The City.” I’m more webinar than Westminster, but when the Resolution Foundation hosts a conference on Britain’s poorer half, you make the trip.

I gave some thought to what one wears to a policy conference on poverty. Was a blazer the right call? As it turned out, yes.

Unsung Britain was held in Central Hall Westminster; high ceilings, polished floors, sharp suits. A different crowd from the frontline practitioners I’m used to: CEOs from Mind and Citizens Advice, directors from Tesco and the FCA, journalists from the Financial Times, and the day’s headline draw, Andy Burnham.

The event was free and open. But as I took my seat, I couldn’t shake a question: would the people being talked about today feel comfortable in this room?

The subject of the day was stark. Britain’s poorer half, 13 million working-age families, are being squeezed by slow wage growth, rising housing costs, inflation and a social security system that no longer provides the support it once did. The consequences aren’t abstract: rising arrears, worsening health, insecure work, deepening destitution.

One statistic cut through everything: men in the least prosperous parts of England have a life expectancy of 51 years, 20 years fewer than those in the most affluent areas. Let that sink in.

This isn’t about a small group falling through the cracks. It’s structural inequality.

“How Do We Get Everyone to Play in the Right Position?”

The panels were serious and solutions-focused, covering everything from competitive markets and fairer taxation to social tariffs and better data-sharing so people actually receive the support they’re entitled. There was consensus on the need to build more council homes, invest smarter, regulate better and help people into good work.

Then Charlie Mayfield, Chair of the Keep Britain Working Review, said something that stayed with me: We are good at identifying the problems, but the solution lies in how we get everyone to play in the right position.

That feels like the crux of it. Not just naming the issues, but being honest about who holds power, who needs to step up and who needs to be heard. 

“Getting Granular”

One of the moments that grounded the day for me was hearing from Kate Josephs, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council. She focused on what national policy looks like in practice. Frameworks around tax, income and funding matter enormously. But when you are supporting someone far from the labour market, perhaps managing disability, caring responsibilities or long-term unemployment, what makes the difference are strong, trusted services rooted in communities.

In South Yorkshire, where more than a quarter of the working-age population is economically inactive, that challenge looks different street by street. Supporting someone into good work in Sheffield is not the same as in Barnsley. Industries differ. Transport differs. Communities and barriers differ.

And yet South Yorkshire’s Pathways into Work programme is now outperforming the rest of the country.

How? From the bottom up.

As Kate put it, it is important in these “hallowed policy conversations” to think about how we create frameworks that are clear about the problem while creating space for properly funded, innovative public services at place, at community level, to do the work.

That means commissioning deeply expert VCSE partners who understand local faith groups, language needs, disability and employers. It means engaging people where they are, listening deeply, and designing support around complex, real-life vulnerabilities rather than expecting people to fit a template. ‘Getting granular’, as she puts it.

In a room full of national leaders, it was a reminder that proximity, not just in geography but in lived experience, matters. 

“They Don’t Feel It”

As I listened, I kept thinking about Ms Begum.

Last year, Ms Begum attended one of our community consultations as part of a co-design campaign we ran with Thrive LDN around tackling stigma when accessing support. Ahead of our upcoming Changing the Conversation webinar, I asked her what she wished people working to tackle poverty really understood.

She said that it feels like the “big dogs” might understand things on paper, but they don’t feel what people in hardship are going through. “They’re just like the mouthpiece for whatever party they’re in. To feel it is to live it or to know someone that’s lived it.”

“I always say a toothache and an ear ache is the worst kind of pain. It’s worse than breaking a finger.” Unless you’ve felt that specific kind of pain, that specific kind of struggle, “I don’t think you’ll know.” And if the people designing support don’t know it, they risk building systems that don’t quite work.

So what should happen instead?

“I think they should listen to the people and what the people want, number one. And number two, they should fund the community more and let the community leaders lead with the community rather than just hiring people to take care of things in that community.”

She was clear: it should be led by residents. “That’s where we know what we need. If we had a chance, we would take care of our own community and our own people.”

She talked about the need for visible, community-based support hubs rooted in neighbourhoods. Not instead of larger institutions, but alongside them. Spaces where people don’t feel processed or judged. Where support feels designed with them, not for them. 

The Resolution Foundation’s report described Britain’s poorer half as widely “courted by politicians” yet “poorly served.” Ms Begum’s point humanised the analysis and sharpened the solution: listen properly, fund locally, and let communities lead.

What Happens After the Applause?

The conference ended with Andy Burnham speaking about the need to move away from divisive politics and towards a more collective approach. Yet when the floor opened to questions, much of the focus shifted quickly to party politics and leadership speculation.

That’s not surprising. It’s the nature of political journalism. But it did feel symbolic. A whole day dedicated to Britain’s poorer half, and the headlines that followed were about Westminster positioning. And then we wonder why people feel disenfranchised.

If Charlie Mayfield is right, and we need everyone playing in the right position, then part of that means those with power, platforms, funding, influence should be keeping the conversation centred on the people most affected.

I work in digital publishing and communications, helping people on low incomes access clear and usable information about their money. I left the conference asking myself: What is my position in all of this?

What’s yours?

If we’re serious about addressing the issues faced by ‘Unsung Britain,’ it starts by listening properly and creating space for people not just to be researched, but to shape the response.

On the 5th of March, join us for our upcoming webinar, Changing the Conversation: Reconnecting With Communities Who Feel Left Behind, where we’ll explore what it really takes to rebuild trust, and how we make sure people are spoken with, not just spoken about. Sign up for free here.