The Council and democracy State of the city report 2019

A progressive and equitable city

Our aim is for everyone in the city to have the same opportunities, life chances and potential to lead safe, healthy, happy and fulfilled lives, no matter where they are born or live. This means reducing the disparities between different areas of the city. Manchester has made real progress towards achieving this aim over the past decade, yet there are still areas of intense deprivation in the city.

In recent years, homelessness has been a growing challenge for Manchester, with more families presenting as homeless and more people sleeping on the streets in the city centre. Agencies are working together to ensure that those people who want help can access the shelter and services they need. Central to this is the Manchester Homelessness Strategy, which sets out aims for reducing homelessness.

Work in Manchester has focused on employment as a route out of poverty, raising and protecting family incomes, boosting resilience and building on strengths. In spite of this, there has been a recent increase in the number of children living in poverty in the city. The Family Poverty Strategy seeks to reduce the number of families living in poverty in the city, and supports them to be more resilient so they can reach their full potential.

In the past year, good progress has been made in a number of health outcomes, including increases in healthy life expectancy, more cancers diagnosed at an early stage, and a reduction in alcohol-related admissions, under-18 conceptions and suicides. Despite these improvements, Manchester still has some of the worst health outcomes in the country and there are also significant inequalities within the city. The Manchester Population Health Plan is a long-term plan to tackle Manchester’s entrenched health inequalities.

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