Social mobility is about ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to build a good life for themselves regardless of their family background. In a socially mobile society, every individual has a fair chance of reaching their potential. But in today’s Britain, where you start from has a big influence on where you end up. Indeed, for young people it seems that the link between demography and destiny is becoming stronger rather than weaker.
But Britain’s social mobility problem is not just one of income or class background. It is increasingly one of geography. A stark social mobility postcode lottery exists today, where the chances of someone from a disadvantaged background getting on in life is closely linked to where they grow up and choose to make a life for themselves.
Our report highlights examples of areas that buck these overall trends – often due to strong local initiatives involving the local authority and other organisations working in partnership to improve life outcomes for people living in their area. The report highlights examples of best practice and contains recommendations for how both national and local governments can work to improve social mobility prospects locally.