Bradford is the UK’s designated City of Culture for 2025. Now the state is celebrating its dynamic arts community and beautiful cultural diversity with a festival that lasts an entire year! For all this cultural recognition, the city continues to face deep economic scars, most clearly seen in its levels of deprivation and child poverty. Local business owner Saleem Kader, who has operated the Bombay Stores since the 1960s, has witnessed many budgets come and go, reflecting on the ongoing struggles faced by the community.
So as Bradford gets ready for its annual cultural theatrics, it’s having to deal with some serious challenges. Yet the city is home to many of the highest levels of deprivation in the UK, with shocking levels of child poverty. According to local charities, scrapping the two-child benefit cap would be a crucial step toward alleviating poverty for many families in Bradford. This sentiment resonates with Kader, who stands in front of rows of dresses in his store, dressed in a suit, as he discusses the economic landscape.
Last year brought some of the largest tax hikes on record for employers in Bradford, with an increase in National Insurance contributions. These changes have raised the cost of doing business and made it more difficult to recruit employees. Kader noted, “We’ve seen a steady increase in costs for the business, at the same time we’ve seen reluctance from customers. Their spending power’s reduced.” This trend is indicative of a larger fear among local business leaders that bad economic policies are forcing consumer behavior in the wrong direction.
Local initiatives are just starting to take shape in the wake of these challenges. A community food pantry in nearby Bradford—one of 215 such pantries across the state—sells groceries at greatly subsidized rates, working to serve those who are food insecure. Community leaders and residents express hope that changes to welfare policies, such as scrapping the two-child benefit cap, could provide necessary relief for families living in poverty.
Local heavyweights like Rachel Reeves, the queen of localism, are widely rumored to be making announcements that would dramatically shape the course of Bradford’s future. Kader expressed his desire for tangible measures from government officials: “So what I’d like to hear from the chancellor today are measures that would actually put more money in consumers’ pockets.” And he made the case that empowering local consumers is key to reinvigorating the grassroots economy.
The juxtaposition of Bradford’s cultural celebration and its economic difficulties illustrates the complexities faced by communities striving for growth while addressing deep-seated issues of poverty and deprivation. As the city continues to embrace its identity as a cultural hub, the hope remains that policymakers will respond effectively to the needs of its residents.