John Battle Backs Church Action on Poverty

The national charity Church Action on Poverty (CAP) has grown up and remained rooted in Manchester, close to the heart of the issue. Last year CAP’s “Debt On Our Doorstep” campaign made a real difference, publicly raising the issue of poverty and debt in Britain, not least the entrapping of people in unsustainable loans by companies lending at massive rates of interest. A new Consumer Credit Bill, regulating the worst excesses, should become law this year, as a direct result of the powerful Church Action on Poverty campaign. And what characterises CAP is the way the voices of the poor are given primacy in the campaigns. Letting the poor speak for themselves, describing their direct experience, spelling out clearly and passionately their personal testimonies, is the reason why Church Action on Poverty makes a real impact.

Nor is the work all focused on Parliament and changing unjust laws. Listening to the poor and enabling them to act themselves shines out of CAP’s Annual Review Making an Impact. The “School for Participation” organised with the Community Pride Initiative in Manchester and Salford – including the innovative “participatory budgeting” practice – is ground-breaking work in “Poor Britain.” The Just Thornaby project focuses on tackling poverty on Teeside through a joined-up approach building on the skills, training and assets that people within the neighbourhood already have. Again it is not a case doing things for the “hard to reach,” but seeking out what is already there, overlooked and ignored for too long. CAP encourages all of us to pray, get involved and give. We should all pray, some can get directly involved and join CAP, but more of us must donate to keep CAP’s work going. As the Joseph Rowntree research makes plain, much remains to be done – and Church Action on Poverty have already developed clear ideas and practices of how to do it. Boosting CAP this year may enable its approach to start to become mainstream, offering an alternative “bottom up,” participatory, personally respectful rather than patronising economic approach.

Church Action on Poverty, in the encouraging words of the Bishops’ Synod on Justice, really are working to embody, “action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world,” as “a constituent dimension of preaching the Gospel.” The words from Proverbs “Speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and the needy,” do not respect international boundaries – our responsibility to tackle poverty is both local and global simultaneously – and urgent.

Support Church Action on Poverty through their website, www.church-poverty.org.uk or contact them at 0161 236 9321

©John Battle MP 15 December 2004

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Internet Links

• Debt On Our Doorstep

Email Address

ceo@leedscitycu.co.uk

Telephone Numbers

Bramley Credit Union
0113 257 8418
Leeds City Credit Union
0113 214 5252