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The independent review of UK anti-poverty policy, which will be undertaken by Labour MP Frank Field, is ‘likely' to consider the future role of councils in tackling deprivation, a senior source has said. A senior parliamentary figure this week told The MJ Mr Field's review is likely to ‘consider anti-poverty initiatives across all tiers of UK government – and the efforts of charity, third sector and private sector partners – with a view to recommending changes that will better tackle embedded poverty'. While Mr Field has significant freedom over his remit, the feeling within Westminster is that he could consider whether now is the time to devolve further responsibility for welfare provision – such as tackling the number of households with no working members and rising levels of youngsters not in education, employment and training (Neets) – to localities: a move supported by the LGA. Prime minister, David Cameron, announced the establishment of the independent Review on Poverty and Life Chances on 5 June and secured something of a coup when Mr Field, a respected Labour politician, agreed to lead the assessment. Mr Field has long been regarded as one of Britain's most prominent thinkers on welfare-related issues. He made a name for himself in the late 1990s when, as minister for welfare reform, then prime minister Tony Blair asked him to ‘think the unthinkable' when reviewing Britain's arcane pensions system. However, Mr Field's more radical pensions proposals were kicked into the long-grass by the Labour leadership and went unimplemented, and he subsequently left the government. Mr Cameron said: ‘I am pleased that Frank Field is undertaking this work. I hope he can look at the issue of whether we should give more attention to – and find better ways of measuring – the time people spend in deep poverty, [and] the gap between those in poverty and mainstream Britain.' Mr Field said: ‘This is a real opportunity to influence the next stage in how our counter-poverty strategy develops.'

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WHITEHALL

Councils set for scrutiny in anti-poverty review

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