The attached should be self-explanatory. On the assumption that there
are people in british geography doing relevant stuff, this
network should be the place to find it. Or is it? Anyway I hope some
will feel motivated to respond. Please pass on to anyone not on the
list who might contribute.
John Mohan
Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: "Adrian Sinfield" <[log in to unmask]>
Organization: Edinburgh University
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 14:21:51 +0000
Subject: Invitation to give evidence to UK Poverty Commission
Reply-to: [log in to unmask]
Priority: normal
Peter Townsend has asked me to put this on the mailbase,adrian
sinfield
CHANNEL 4 POVERTY COMMISSION
INVITATION TO GIVE EVIDENCE
Channel 4 has set up a "Commission on Poverty" to produce a
report to coincide with the UN "International Day for the Eradication
of Poverty" on 17th October 1996. A film will be shown of the
commission's work, visiting cities in Britain and overseas. All
countries were invited to prepare national plans for the eradication
of absolute poverty and the reduction of overall poverty - as
agreed at the World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen,
March 1996. This Summit was attended by the heads of state of
117 countries.
The Commission consists of Peter Townsend (Chairman; Professor
of Social Policy, University of Bristol), Prudence Leith (Chair of the
Royal Society of Arts), Judge Stephen Tumin and Jatinder Verma
(Theatre Director, Tara Arts). Its terms of reference are:
(1) To define poverty in Britain today;
(2) To describe its extent and severity, and recent trends in the
1990s;
(3) To review what are its chief causes; and
(4) To explain what measures or policies are required to reduce it.
The Commission invites evidence in particular of two kinds:
1) Accounts of individual experiences in recent years: If you
believe you are in serious financial hardship, how did this arise and
how have you been treated? Or, if you have known serious
hardship in recent years but are now much better off, how did that
happen, and what help did you receive? Your experience may be
of help in understanding what can be done about the problem.
Certainly it will be of help to us in showing what has happened
around the country.
2) Examples of the effects of poverty in Britain: Can you provide
evidence of any kind about how serious proverty is in a local area,
what it means to a family or neighbourhood, what kinds of effects it
seems to have on people's security, opportunity to live peacefully,
find jobs, live a healthy life and give children a good upbringing and
education? Is there any section of the population who are suffering
in particular and whom you would like to call to national attention -
say, young children, disabled people, and refugees? How do you
explain the scale of poverty - do the origins lie overseas, with
Government policies, with the changing market and companies, or
with the family? And what steps can be taken - by Government,
companies, local authorities, voluntary bodies, and individual people
themselves - the more specific the detail (eg legislation,
reorganisation, taxation, national insurance) the better?
Please send written evidence (of any length - but a piece of 4 - 6
pages at most would be helpful if it proves possible to find funding
to publish some or all of the evidence submitted) to the following
address preferably by September 14th 1996 and we will take it into
account in preparing our report.
Address for written evidence: Either (1) Professor Peter Towsend,
School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, 8 Woodland Road,
Bristol, BS8 1TN;
Or (2) Clare Handford, Secretary Channel 4 Poverty Commission,
c/o Fulcrum Productions, 254 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7EB.
Adrian Sinfield
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|