Responding to Theresa May’s announcement of a new social justice body, Dr Wanda Wyporska, Executive Director of The Equality Trust said:

“While we welcome the committment of resources to tackle inequality, there are far more  effective ways in which the Government could take action to reduce inequality. If, as in Scotland and, we expect, soon in Wales, the Government enacted Section 1 of the Socio-Economic Duty, it would be a huge step in reducing the damagingly high levels of inequality that we see in the UK. The Socio-Economic Duty is already on the statute books as part of The Equality Act 2010 and could be implemented. The Government has already committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, a global framework, of which SDG 10 is to reduce inequality. What we really need is action, rather than belated words.”

Ends

1. For further comments contact Jo Wittams: jo.wittams@equalitytrust.org.uk.

2. The Socio-Ecnomic Duty reads as follows:

Public sector duty regarding socio-economic inequalities

(1)An authority to which this section applies must, when making decisions of a strategic nature about how to exercise its functions, have due regard to the desirability of exercising them in a way that is designed to reduce the inequalities of outcome which result from socio-economic disadvantage.

3. The Equality Trust is a registered charity that works to improve the quality of life in the UK by reducing economic and social inequality. UK income inequality is among the highest in the developed world and evidence shows that this results in poorer mental and physical health, higher violent crime, poorer educational outcomes and lower levels of trust. Inequality affects us all.