{"id":1753,"date":"2024-05-01T14:10:11","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T13:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/mui\/?p=1753"},"modified":"2026-01-14T11:11:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T11:11:08","slug":"tackling-poverty-in-times-of-increased-austerity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/mui\/2024\/05\/01\/tackling-poverty-in-times-of-increased-austerity\/","title":{"rendered":"Tackling poverty in times of increased austerity | Joanna Barrow"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Economic austerity has deepened and widened across the UK due largely to the ever-rising cost of living and the wider effects of Brexit, the pandemic recovery, political instability and the pressure of overseas conflicts. Many more individuals and households have been plunged into poverty in recent years and low-income neighbourhoods also face significant financial challenges from severe local spending cutbacks. In response to the ongoing ‘crisis’, Professors Karen Lucas and Sarah Marie Hall have hosted a series of workshops, public engagement exercises and policy events to raise awareness of the lived experiences of ‘Transport Poverty and Economic Austerity’.<\/p>\n

Public panel discussion<\/h2>\n

\"\"The first event, open to the public, brought together a panel of policy makers, civil society activists and academics. Opening statements from the panel set the stage for an honest discussion about the difficulties in accessing transportation in Greater Manchester. The socio-economic implications of rising travel costs and the challenges of relying on a public transport provision that struggles to meet the needs of its users, highlighted the need for continued reform. There was a call for decision making around transportation provision to do more than be economically profitable and instead to more heavily weight the mobility needs and benefits of the people who rely on public transport to connect with their everyday lives.<\/p>\n

Practitioner workshop<\/h2>\n

The second event, a workshop designed to bring together people working within the Greater Manchester transport policy sector with university researchers and key stakeholders from local organisation representing people experiencing transport poverty to:<\/p>\n