The Social Mobility Commission’s report, Regional Insights: Creating fairer chances across the regions, calls for more powers to be granted to beloved administrations to help tackle the UK’s social mobility problem.
The report draws on best practice examples gathered through conversations with local residents, employers, educators, Combined Authority officials and others across different parts of the United Kingdom throughout 2025.
Through these recommendations the Commission aims to strengthen its call for a focus on place-based approaches to improve social mobility.
What the report recommends
The report sets our recommendations across four themes to help tackle the UK’s social mobility problem.
Let young people experience work
- Utilise FE colleges, including Technical Excellence Colleges, for longer-term planning to support young people and build collaboration with local employers
- Early interventions for young people who are at risk of NEET indicators
- Make it easier to navigate careers advice
- Devolve the Growth and Skills Levy
Transport
- Devolved authorities should provide free or reduced public transport fares for young people
- Transport decisions should be devolved
- Greater devolution of transport networks
- Introduce a National Rural Mobility Fund
Prevent welfare traps
- Government needs to improve data sharing
- The Social Mobility Communication will work with partner organisations to monitor the effectiveness of DWP-supported initiatives
- Support offered must adequately address the skills gaps of people not economically active – and the specific skills needed by employers
- There should be more support for adult literacy and numeracy
A Sense of Belonging
- Require ward-level data dashboards
- There should be strong local leadership setting out what success looks like
We would like to thank the following devolved authorities for their involvement in the regional roundtable discussions: West Midlands Combined Authority, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Glasgow City Council and Neath Port Talbot Council.