Publication archive

The socio-economic duty in action: case studies from England and Wales (July 2023)

This report, co-authored by Greater Manchester Poverty Action and Just Fair, highlights case studies from local authorities and public bodies in England who voluntarily adopted the duty, and the Welsh government who formally adopted the duty in 2021.

Household Support Fund: best practice briefing (April 2023)

This briefing explores how local authorities can maximise the impact of the HSF to support low income residents.

“Coping with an impossible situation” - How organisations and individuals are struggling to respond to the fuel poverty crisis (March 2023)

In March 2023, GMPA published our report, “Coping with an impossible situation” – How organisations and individuals are struggling to respond to the fuel poverty crisis. Funded by the Warm this Winter coalition, the report explores the impacts of fuel poverty in Greater Manchester, although many of its findings are of relevance to other locations.  

Local anti-poverty strategies: good practice and effective approaches (February 2023)

This report develops new thinking and valuable insights into the strategic approach local authorities and their partners can take to address poverty and identifies the key elements of a local anti-poverty strategy that will maximise its effectiveness.  

Local welfare assistance schemes: best practice (June 2022)

This briefing aims to illustrate the guiding principles of local welfare assistance schemes along with examples of best practice from four local authorities across the UK.

The current scale of the socio-economic duty in England (June 2022)

This briefing sets out the scale of voluntary adoption of the socio-economic duty by local authorities in England based on FOI requested conducted by GMPA.

Socio-economic Duty Guide (June 2021)

This guide is intended for local and combined authority officers, local councillors and metro mayors in England interested in tackling socio-economic disadvantage. The guide is also of use to local authorities (and other public bodies) in other parts of England. It was developed by GMPA in partnership with Just Fair, Equality Trust, Amnesty, Compassion in Politics, Equally Ours, Runnymede, Thrive Teeside and Shelter.

Strengthening the role of local welfare assistance (December 2020)

This report identifies a series of recommendations for local authorities and their partners in Greater Manchester to adopt. The report draws on good practice from both within and outside the city-region.

COVID Winter Grant funding (November 2020)

In November 2020 the government announced funding worth £170m for local authorities in England to support families with ‘food and bills’ during the Winter (the ‘COVID Winter Grant Scheme’). This funding was extended during 2021. GMPA supported councils in Greater Manchester to think about how they could prioritise using the funding to support Free School Meal families during the school holidays.

Cash first briefing (August 2020)

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In July 2020 GMPA was asked to develop a briefing for the Greater Manchester Humanitarian Assistance Group following the announcement of additional funding from central government aimed at supporting local authorities to respond to hardship in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The briefing focuses on the importance of taking a ‘cash first’ approach to local welfare provision.

The decline of crisis support in England (September 2018)

This report examines local welfare assistance provision across England and why we need a new approach.