Cambridge - in pursuit of equality

Cambridge is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK and is host to some of the most productive and innovative contributors to the UK economy. However, economic growth and success brings with it challenges, including rising congestion, housing shortages and pollution. Cambridge needs to take radical action to grow sustainably and in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which is the mission for the Cambridge 2030 init...

Hunger in Cambridge is systemic and pre-dates the pandemic. 

This winter, food banks are expecting to give out an emergency food parcel every 9 seconds. With thousands more now facing financial hardship, food banks have seen an increase in families who are “newly hungry”, who have been forced to use support services and claim benefits for the first time. In Cambridge, this fact is reflected by a 23% rise in Cambridge City Foodbank’s...

In December 2019, a homeless woman gave birth to twins outside Cambridge University’s wealthiest college, Trinity. A sadly ironic image representing the vast disparity between Cambridge’s richest and poorest citizens; deprivation overshadowed by the city’s reputation. 

Due partly to an influx of large fast-growing companies, Cambridge has become one of the least affordable places to live in the UK; the average cost of a house is 13 ...

Cambridge boasts some of the greatest inequality in the country in terms of social mobility and the overall life chances of disadvantaged children and young people growing up here. Studies show that access to arts and culture can make a radical difference in improving academic attainment, mental health, transferable life and work skills, as well as levelling the playing field for disadvantaged students. But, children from disadvant...

Cambridge has some of the greatest inequality in the country in terms of social mobility and overall life chances for disadvantaged children and young people growing up in the region. 

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds generally do less well academically and have less opportunities for career progression and income generation. Greater emphasis must be put on education, careers information and work experience opportunities in C...

In 2016, Cambridge was named a social mobility ‘coldspot’, meaning it ranked in the lowest 20 percent of local authorities across the UK. This means that for a child from a disadvantaged background, the chances of doing well at school and getting a good job in Cambridge are low.

The impact of Covid-19 threatens to significantly widen the social mobility gap still further, with young people disproportionately affected by the pandemi...

In January 2021 the UK went back into lockdown and all schools were closed for the foreseeable future. Data showed a massive shortfall in the number of children with digital access at home including up to 9,400 children across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. To tackle this head-on, the Digital Drive campaign was launched.

In this episode we talk to Julie Spence, OBE QPM, Lord-Lieutenant Cambridgeshire, Hazel Belchamber, Assistant D...