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Commission Meeting Minutes 17 June 2020

Updated 9 November 2021

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-mobility-commission-board-meeting-notes/commission-meeting-minutes-17-june-2020

Attendees: Commissioners

Sandra Wallace (Interim Co-Chair)
Steven Cooper (Interim Co-Chair)
Farrah Storr
Jody Walker
Harvey Matthewson
Sammy Wright
Alistair Da Costa
Liz Williams
Saeed Atcha
Jess Oghenegweke

Apologies

Sam Friedman and Pippa Dunn

1. Introduction

1.1 The Co-chairs set out their plans for the next two upcoming meetings. Key points made were:

  • this is the first of three meetings to set the Commission’s corporate priorities and structure. They want all Commissioners to have a voice.

  • they held meetings with Indra Morris (Director General, DfE) and Robert Arnott (Director, DfE) to review the Commission’s forward agenda and its resources and operational constraints.

2. Monitoring report

  • commissioners agreed that the monitoring report was a huge success. It had reached wide audiences and was spoken about in Parliament. It also received considerable coverage in the press and on social media platforms.

  • commissioners’ views were that that the inclusion of case studies brought the report to life. The inclusion of easily understood summaries on policy areas also made the report more accessible to non-policy experts.

3. Achievements over the last 18 months

3.1 There was a discussion about the Commission’s achievements over the last eighteen months. Commissioners saw their achievements as:

  • the monitoring report

  • publication of high-quality research and evidence which gave the Commission legitimacy and solid policy positions going forward

  • the Commission’s life cycle approach to policy development

  • regional visits which highlighted regional challenges to social mobility

  • bringing the Commission’s reports to life with the use of case studies and stories

4. Areas for further engagement

4.1 Commissioners discussed areas they think the Commission could be more vocal. They recommended the impact of COVID-19 and the economic recovery, and socio-economic disadvantage and how that ties into the current conversation about race.

5. Policy areas for further development

5.1 There was also a discussion about policy areas for future development, resource dependent. Commissioners discussed:

  • intersectionality – specifically race, class and disability

  • health (including mental health)

  • digital inclusion

  • transport

  • housing

6. Approaches to strengthen

6.1 A discussion followed about the approaches that Commissioners wanted to strengthen. The following approaches were agreed:

  • convening and highlighting the impact of social mobility charities

  • developing a long-term strategic approach to government relations and advocacy (with a goal of influencing government policy)

  • leveraging collective power of the social mobility sector (for example via employers

  • changing the narrative around welfare

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