Better access to public services central to new Class Unit agenda
The UK government has launched a Class Unit to address inequalities faced by working-class communities, focusing on health, jobs, and poverty reduction through expert and lived-experience input.
The Class Unit has been established within government to tackle systemic inequalities affecting working-class Britons, with a focus on fairer access to health services, employment opportunities, and community pride. Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson convened the first roundtable, bringing together experts, community leaders, and individuals with direct experience to inform the Unit’s priorities and strategies. The initiative aims to address deep-rooted disadvantages linked to geography and intergenerational factors, including child poverty and class-based stigmas in workplaces and education. The government highlights progress made in reducing child poverty over the past two years but acknowledges the need for sustained action to shift entrenched inequalities across society.
The Unit will lead on implementing the socio-economic duty, a new legal requirement for public bodies to consider the impact of their decisions on lower-income families. This duty aims to ensure that public services are designed and delivered in a way that improves outcomes for those most in need. The government has also committed to addressing disparities in health outcomes, such as the higher risk of maternal mortality in deprived areas, where women are twice as likely to die in childbirth compared to those in less deprived areas.
The Class Unit’s work will focus on practical measures to improve life chances, including reducing barriers to good jobs and addressing attainment gaps in education. The minister engaged with youth participants from Mission 44, a foundation established by Sir Lewis Hamilton, to gather firsthand perspectives on the challenges young people face transitioning from education to careers. The government has highlighted stark disparities in access to top jobs, with 36% of people in senior positions having attended private schools, despite only 7% of the population doing so.
The initiative also targets financial security and the reduction of child poverty, with 27% of children living in poverty after housing costs, 72% of whom are in working families. The government’s approach includes addressing geographic deprivation and intergenerational cycles of disadvantage to create lasting change. The Class Unit will collaborate with public bodies to ensure that socio-economic factors are embedded in decision-making processes to improve outcomes for working-class communities.