Barnes, Amy, Powell, Owen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6229-9912, Baxter, Maddie, Kennedy, Kelli and Pickett, Kate (2026) Addressing Poverty and Inequality Through Community Wealth Building. In: Colliver, K., Hudson, J., Meers, J., Pickett, K. and Wenham, A., (eds.) Poverty and Progress? 125 years on from Rowntree’s study of life in York. The York Policy Engine, University of York

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Abstract

As other chapters of this report have shown, on the surface, York is a wealthy, high-employment city. Yet it is also a place with deep-seated structural poverty that is more hidden than in other cities in the North of England; with poverty characterised by precarity, low wages, and high costs, particularly for housing (see Chapters 3 and 5). Vulnerable groups – including single parents, larger families, disabled residents, and workers in tourism, retail, hospitality, and care – struggle to afford essentials. This crisis stems from a lack of economic security, voice, and democratic control over local wealth. Major regeneration initiatives like York Central and York Station Gateway promise investment but risk exacerbating inequalities unless they intentionally build and distribute community wealth. This chapter examines community wealth building as a strategic approach in York and considers its capacity to shape people’s lives across the city, particularly those living on a low income. The analysis draws on policy documents, academic literature, and a series of research interviews about community wealth building from May and June 2026 with a small group of local stakeholders actively shaping York’s economy (including social innovators, cooperative members, social enterprise leads).

Item Type:	Book Section
Status:	Published
DOI:	10.15124/yao-654p-m984
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
School/Department:	York Business School
Institutes:	Institute for Social Justice
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/15883

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