Resolve Poverty has published new research mapping strategic local anti-poverty action across England in 2026. Based on FOI responses from 260 councils, the findings show that 16% of councils currently have an anti-poverty strategy in place, while 10% have formally adopted the socio-economic duty.
The report highlights the importance of coordinated local action to tackle poverty and calls on government to strengthen support for councils, introduce a statutory requirement for anti-poverty strategies and progress enactment of the socio-economic duty.
Key findings
- 16% of councils have an anti-poverty strategy in place, with a further 19% planning to implement one within the next year.
- 10% of local authorities have formally adopted the socio-economic duty, with a further 51% indicating they are “working in the spirit of the duty”.
- ‘Predominantly Urban’ areas were around 3 times more likely to have an anti-poverty strategy in place than ‘Predominantly Rural’ areas.
- Predominantly Urban areas are the most likely to have adopted the socio-economic duty (14%) compared with 4% of Predominantly Rural areas.
- Local authorities within a Strategic Authority were more likely to have adopted the socio-economic duty, and within the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, 60% of authorities had adopted the duty. The remaining 40% of councils in Greater Manchester are working in “the spirit of the duty.”
- Similar patterns are seen regionally with anti-poverty strategy implementation: 71% of councils across the North East region have an anti-poverty strategy; 36% of councils in Yorkshire and the Humber; and 35% of councils in the North West.
- The full report analyses take up of anti-poverty strategies and the socio-economic duty across key variables such as local rates of child poverty, urban/rural classification, regional differences and the relationship with devolution.
Read the full report here
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