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News and blogs

Find our latest news, blogs from the SMC and external contributors, and catch up on any events you missed with our recaps and recordings

4 Sep 2025

Devolution, growth and opportunity: How the Liverpool City Region is closing the opportunity gap

In the latest episode of the Social Mobility Talks podcast, Alun Francis, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission and Steve Rotherham, Metro Major of the Liverpool City Region, discuss how devolution is helping the region close the opportunity gap.

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29 Jul 2025

Our Deputy Chair visits Edinburgh and Glasgow 

Rob Wilson spoke to local leaders in Edinburgh and Glasgow about how regional investment strategies are driving change.

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16 Jul 2025

Work-life balance prioritised over material wealth, study finds

What makes for a ‘good life’ has changed for residents in two northwest areas over recent generations, with stability, work life balance and community connection increasingly prioritised over material wealth, the Social Mobility Commission says today.

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16 Jul 2025

Deep dives: a local perspective on social mobility

The Social Mobility Commission has published new research which explores the beliefs, attitudes and perceptions of individuals in the most and least socially mobile areas within a larger region.

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10 Jun 2025

Social mobility and the economy: are they two sides of the same coin?

Read the full text of the speech delivered by Alun Francis, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, delivered at the Royal Society of Arts on 4 June 2025.

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4 Jun 2025

Rethink failed social mobility policy to improve opportunities for UK’s poorest communities

Current approaches to social mobility are failing the UK’s most disadvantaged communities, the Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, will say today, as he calls for a radical rethink of social mobility policy.

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6 May 2025

The Child Poverty Act 15 years on: the truly disadvantaged must not be forgotten

More than 15 years after the Child Poverty Act came into force, we are at risk of losing sight of our truly disadvantaged communities. Alun Francis, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, and Alan Milburn, the Commission’s first Chair, tell us why we must not be distracted from supporting the people and places most in need.

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23 Apr 2025

From Silicon Valley to South Yorkshire: boosting innovation for economic growth

How can Britain tackle persistent barriers to economic growth in ‘left behind’ communities. Rob Wilson explores the issues with David Richards, managing partner of venture capital firm Yorkshire AI Labs.

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4 Apr 2025

Social Mobility Commission at 15 

Our Chair, Alun Francis, reflects on 15 years since the foundation of the Social Mobility Commission

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27 Feb 2025

What social mobility policy gets wrong: the view from Blackpool

Alun Francis, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, shares his view in an article originally posted in the Financial Times

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14 Feb 2025

Commission launches Economic Growth and Investment Group 

A better understanding of the barriers to growth and community change are crucial to improving opportunities and long-term social mobility.

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Alun Francis

7 Jan 2025

A new debate on opportunity and social mobility

Are conventional approaches to social mobility actually limiting opportunity? Alun Francis, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, tells us why policymakers must think differently

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