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Social Mobility: Local Roots, Lasting Change (Social Mobility Policy Committee Report)

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Manningham-Buller, and her committee on their thoughtful report. I declare my interest as a social mobility commissioner. The Social Mobility Commission was very pleased to contribute to the inquiry, including our excellent chairman, Alun Francis, who hosting the committee at Blackpool and The Fylde College, where he is chief executive. At the commission, Alun Francis has put localism and place at the forefront of breaking down social mobility barriers, so we strongly support the committee’s calls for place-based approaches.

As to the most serious matter of NEETs, the SMC has been highlighting the growing crisis for some time and contributed to Alan Milburn’s interim report. While it is true—as the Milburn report said—that getting a job is increasingly difficult for all young people, including graduates, it is important not to conflate the Government’s political and economic

decisions that are deterring employers from recruiting young people with the social conditions that are driving the huge increase in economically inactive NEETs.

The commission is currently discussing with the Milburn review team its soon to be published qualitative research with young people who are NEET in Blackpool. That research shows how they are not a homogenous group and how, for many, a lack of stability and security in their home life influences their well-being and lack of progress towards education, employment or training.

Addressing the causes of our NEET epidemic must go beyond increasing and spreading economic opportunity. It must involve topics that, too often, politicians and policymakers are reluctant to discuss, the most obvious and important being the family and parenting. This is not just about household incomes or parents’ educational attainment; it is about highlighting the need for both parents to provide stability, uphold social norms and teach their children common standards that are beneath no one, beyond no one and vital to our individual success, cohesive communities and a stronger society.

My noble friend Lord Elliott mentioned the late Dolly Parton. Alongside her talents, one of the most important things she had going for her was a stable, strong family background.

It was as surprising as it was disappointing to read media reports this week signalling the Social Mobility Commission’s demise. Of course, it is for Ministers to decide how to organise resources to address barriers to social mobility, but perhaps the Minister could tell us how and when she intends to communicate their decision. But whatever the commission’s future, promoting the importance of stable families to children’s future success must be a government priority. We exacerbate inequality when we deny evidence and fail to join obvious dots for fear of causing offence. Most importantly, those who suffer most when we do are in the lowest socioeconomic groups.

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