One recession is serious – a second could be disastrous | Karen Day
The four neighbourhoods featured in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's Communities in Recession study highlight some of the effects of the economic downturn across the country, from the social and economic impact of job losses to disaffected young people and stalled regeneration.
What I have seen and heard across this summer suggests to me that the current debate over the official end of the recession is premature. All the political parties have acknowledged the inevitable future reduction in public services, fuelled by higher public borrowing and a decrease in tax receipts. But what hasn't been recognised is the potential impact these cuts may have, triggering a second recession unique to deprived communities.
Many of these places are dependent on public services – from free school buses to drug outreach services; even police community support officers – to cushion their community infrastructure. In the rush to proclaim the end of the economic downturn, these places could be overlooked just as these cuts start to bite, pulling them further into poverty and widening the gap in inequalities even more.
Broad Green in Swindon is a town that has been knocked off its feet by the recession, but has been slow to respond to its communities' increasing needs. It is more resilient than most, with a tight-knit community infrastructure – but a dependence on low-skilled manual work and a poor educational infrastructure may hinder the community's and the town's long-term recovery.
In Barkerend, Bradford, the community has a huge youth unemployment problem, with one in five 16- to 24-year-olds out of work. There are fears that public service cuts may have a disproportionate impact on young people, while a seven-year, £128m regeneration scheme, completed last year, has divided the community withmany questioning its benefits. Deprivation, unemployment and poor housing remain problems.
The Hedworth estate in Jarrow is an example of a local authority and community working in partnership, rather than at odds. The council has made efforts to understand the community's needs and there are close ties with housing and police. It has developed innovative employment support to tackle its high levels of unemployment and was one of the few places to see a decrease in Job Seekers' Allowance rates in May and June. But, as in Bradford and Gellideg, the community has voiced concerns about whether this level of support will continue under future public spending constraints.
The charitable foundation and its social enterprises in Gellideg, Merthyr Tydfil, have helped to improve the lives of people on this south Wales estate. But the work is vulnerable to public service cuts and just as the recession may be officially ending elsewhere, its impact is only beginning to be felt here.
Karen Day is a social affairs journalist and was commisioned to write the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's recent report on communities in recession