Environment Audit CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by Stockport Child Poverty Group

Summary

Affordability of public transport needs to be considered as a potential barrier.

The need for provision of transport and accessibility to transport in areas where it hasn’t been provided to increase social mobility.

Travel planning should become an integral part of support services for people seeking employment.

Greater Manchester Local Sustainable Transport Fund bid jobseekers will be supported into employment through travel advice and information.

The promotion of walking and cycling as key element of travel when infrastructure design and traffic management schemes are developed and implemented.

Child Poverty can be an intergenerational cycle where experiencing poverty in childhood affects children’s outcomes as adults, and this, in turn, affect their children, thus creating cycles of deprivation.

There needs to be an official recognition and measure of transport poverty.

1. There are a number of major barriers to breaking the cycle of poverty including a lack of skills and qualifications, a stagnant jobs market, affordable childcare and the cost of transport. Affordability of public transport needs to be considered as a potential barrier which can prevent people from accessing a range of services and amenities as well as education, training and employment all of which can also lead to health and wellbeing inequalities.

2. It is also essential to make public transport accessible to all and provided in areas where it previously hasn’t been provided to increase social mobility, enable improved access to essential amenities, services and facilities and therefore breaking the cycle of poverty.

3. The inability to access employment which provides a steady income can prevent people from escaping the cycle of poverty. Travel planning should become an integral part of support services for people seeking employment, eg if someone is going to apply for a job/attend a course, how they would get there (mode of transport & affordability) should be one of the first things discussed, alongside skills, etc to help ensure the job is sustained.

4. As part of the Greater Manchester Local Sustainable Transport Fund bid jobseekers will be supported into employment through travel advice and information, discounted public transport tickets and a “bike to work” scheme. Maybe this could be extended to include people who need/want to undertake training or studies to improve their chances of employment.

5. The promotion of walking and cycling as an alternative no-cost or low cost means of getting could also contribute to break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion but it is also necessary that these means of transport are recognised as a key element of travel when infrastructure design and traffic management schemes are developed and implemented.

6. There also needs to be an official recognition and measure of transport poverty so that a baseline can be established and targets for reducing transport poverty can be set.

7 September 2012