Swansea Poverty Truth Commission has been independently evaluated by an external consultancy. 

Swansea Poverty Truth Commission (SPTC) took place between October 2022 and April 2024 and saw people with lived experience of poverty brought together with leaders from the civic and business community to get to grips with local challenges associated with poverty.

SPTC was the first in Wales and used the model developed in Scotland, which had previously been successfully implemented in many locations in England. Swansea Council for Voluntary Service (SCVS) hosted the Commission with support from many key partners locally, notably Swansea Council, Coastal Housing and Swansea Bay University Health Board.

Findings of the Evaluation

The evaluation finds that the process has:

Deepened Commissioners’ understanding of poverty and how the system, that is supposed to be there to help people when they are in need, ends up creating deeper and more problematic issues.

Increased the visibility of poverty and has given voice to the different aspects of poverty

Created a momentum and commitment to making change happen, despite the constraints and challenges facing the public sector

Changed people personally and professionally

Had influence well beyond Swansea with input into national and UK wide strategies

Click here to see the full evaluation report

Click here to find out more about Swansea Poverty Truth Commission