COUNCIL chiefs have revealed a countywide summit will be held in March to tackle the concerns over social mobility for young people across Droitwich.
Members of Wychavon District Council, Worcestershire County Council, children services providers and headteachers will be invited to the meeting to discuss efforts to elevate the district from its lowly position of 310 out of 324 local authorities.
The findings, published in the Social Mobility Commission’s State of the Nation report, saw Wychavon fall within the bottom 20 per cent of local authorities in the UK.
Wychavon is at the heart of a Midlands region which is the worst region in the country for social mobility with the district the worst in Worcestershire .
The district, which includes Droitwich, is the worst area in the West Midlands for social mobility according to the report, ranking below Redditch, Worcester and Malvern Hills. Bromsgrove is near the top of the charts.
Wychavon chiefs proposed the summit during a debate on the report led by Coun Charles Tucker who claimed the council had failed to tackle the growing inequality in Wychavon.
Coun Tucker called for an urgent review of the council’s priorities and raised the prospect of making a bid for a share of £16million of European funding available to the council until 2019.
Council leader Coun Linda Robinson said Wychavon had been ‘on the front foot’ in its bid to tackle the problems.
“The issue of social mobility has existed under a number of Governments and we should be pulling together to tackle the issues.”
She proposed the summit which gained support from a number of Conservative councillors including deputy leader Coun Lynne Duffy.
Coun Duffy highlighted the pilot project working with young people in Droitwich and said it would be extended to other areas should it prove successful.
